Mongolian President begins a visit to France to discuss uranium mining

On Tuesday (10 October), Mongolian President U.Khurelsukh began a visit to France to discuss uranium mining and sign deals on energy and telecommunications, the Mongolian government said in a statement. The visit, which will last until Saturday, follows a trip to Mongolia by French President Emmanuel Macron in May, during which the two countries pledged to expand ties.

They will also hold talks on Mongolia’s rich deposits of uranium, which French nuclear firm Orano is seeking to exploit in a deal yet to be approved by Ulaanbaatar.

A French official told AFP in June the project was estimated at “more than a billion euros” and would “make it possible to extract a significant quantity of uranium” to “reinforce the strategic autonomy” of France.

The French presidency said in a statement that the two countries would sign agreements on the sidelines of the meeting between their presidents. Those talks will be followed by a state dinner on Thursday at the Elysee palace for around 100 guests.

The Mongolian head of state’s visit will also focus on culture, with U.Khurelsukh to open an exhibition focused on his country’s founding leader Genghis Khan at the Nantes History Museum, according to his government.