French FM to undertake broad visit of central Asia

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will undertake a broad visit of Central Asia March 1-2, including visits to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, an official statement said here Thursday. Fabius will be travelling with a French business delegation to promote better economic ties with these countries. When he took office last June, Fabius promised to promote a policy of "economic diplomacy" and activate France's diplomats in trying to boost trade and investment ties around the world. The Foreign Minister, himself, has made more than 50 trips abroad in the last nine months, many of them to promote France as a valid economic partner. His trip to the Central Asian region aims "to give a dynamic to relations with these countries which have strong economic potential and whose stability is decisive for Central Asia," the French Foreign Ministry said. Fabius will meet with the top leaders in all three countries and with his counterparts, and will push for better prospects for bilateral relations. In addition to addressing Central Asian and regional development projects, he will also be discussing Afghanistan and other international situations such as the Iranian nuclear issue, Syria and Mali.