The July wind in Tashkent is hot and humid, but it cannot stop the heat of a heavyweight business negotiation. On July 9, 2026, a special group of guests arrived in the meeting room of Saida Mirziyoyeva, Director of the Office of the President of Uzbekistan. The leader is not an ordinary diplomat, but Claude Imogen, the chairman of the board of directors of French energy giant Orano, who also heads the Ufa Business Council under the French International Business Movement organization. This meeting is seen by the outside world as a "landing version" of Mirziyoeva's recent dialogue with French President Macron, aimed at transforming high-level political trust into tangible bulldozers and power lines.

Energy cooperation bears the heavy burden

Among all the issues, energy is undoubtedly the most dazzling pearl. The $2 billion energy project brought by French power group EDF is the cornerstone of the current cooperation between the two parties. At the same time, Orano's $600 million industrial project in Navoi state is progressing intensively, while Voltalia's $325 million solar and wind projects inject green energy into this ancient land. It is worth noting that both parties have not stopped here and are still conducting in-depth research on six other energy projects with a total value of up to 1.8 billion US dollars. From traditional energy to clean energy, a cross Eurasian energy cooperation belt is quietly taking shape.

Dual flowering of infrastructure technology

In addition to energy, the tentacles of French companies are extending to deeper levels. At the subsequent Ufa Round Table Conference, representatives of 17 French companies sat around with Ukrainian officials. The focus of discussion has shifted from simple buying and selling to technological empowerment. The upgrading of transportation infrastructure, the transformation of modern water supply systems, and smart city solutions based on artificial intelligence have become new keywords. The participation of French architectural company Vinci and Groupe SNEF engineering group heralds the emergence of more infrastructure with French precision genes on the streets and alleys of Tashkent in the future.

Acceleration of economic and trade exchanges

Behind the grand project is the strong support of economic and trade data from both countries. By 2025, the bilateral trade volume between Ukraine and France has stabilized at the $1.4 billion mark. The data for the first five months of this year is even more exciting, with a trade volume of 775 million US dollars up 50% year-on-year, demonstrating the enormous potential for economic complementarity between the two countries. After a separate meeting with Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov, the two sides reached a consensus to establish a regular dialogue mechanism to ensure that these large projects, which often cost hundreds of millions of dollars, can accelerate. With the launch of a new investment plan, the investment and technology partnership between Uzbekistan and France is entering a fast lane.Editor/Yang Meiling