Hollande Kicks off Kazakhstan Trip
French President Francois Hollande arrived in Kazakhstan Friday at the start of a two-day trip aimed at boosting trade and political ties with the emerging Central Asian country.
The French leader was due to hold talks later in the day with Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has run the country since independence in 1991.
After meetings in the capital Astana, he was due to travel to the largest city Almaty in the afternoon.
Subjects on the agenda would include Ukraine, with Russia keen to assert its influence over former Soviet republics and France playing a leading role in trying to rein in Moscow.
Trade would also be discussed, with Kazakhstan being the world's largest producer of uranium and sitting on major reserves of oil, iron ore and coal.
Among the delegation travelling with Hollande are business leaders from sectors as diverse as tourism, aviation and construction.
Although no major deals are expected to be signed during the trip, a source with the French presidency said the visit may yield some smaller commercial agreements.
Another issue that may come up during the trip is the case of Kazakh oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov, whose extradition to Russia and Ukraine was approved by a French court in October, despite concerns over his safety.
Ablyazov, a former minister turned opposition figure and banker turned fugitive, is wanted by Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan on embezzlement charges that he says were trumped up by arch-foe Nazarbayev.
A French presidential source said that Kazakhstan's human rights record may also be discussed during the visit.
Kazakhstan languishes at 161 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' rank of press freedom, while Amnesty International has highlighted the widespread use of torture in detention and impunity of its security forces.
Source: Agence France Presse
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