the reasons for an unexpected, historical and very strategic visit

France has already received a visit from a Mongolian president in the past, but the reverse has never happened until now. Never before has a French president set foot in Mongolia. Emmanuel Macron will of course be entitled to the honors of the State Palace, to folkloric demonstrations in the main square of the capital Ulaanbaatar and even to a visit to the Genghis Khan Museum, the great conqueror of the 13th century.

But it’s a more strategic stopover than it seems: Mongolia is a landlocked country, between China and Russia. It was under Soviet control until 1992. And if it does not want to rush its two cumbersome neighbours, it is looking for new interlocutors at the time of the war in Ukraine. Last month, the Polish Andrzej Duda made the trip.

Despite its poverty, the very nomadic way of life of its inhabitants, its dependence also on coal – 90% for its electricity – this small country, the least densely populated in the world, wants to show France its assets: mines of uranium, and a fierce desire to sign contracts and economic partnerships. The Carrefour group, for example, opened several stores in Mongolia at the start of the year.