Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- French President Emmanuel Macron, after a visit to Kazakhstan, will go to Uzbekistan on 2 November. This was reported by AFP with reference to the Elysee Palace.

“France is ready to support these two countries on the path of reform and modernization, contribute to the diversification of international relations, support their independence and sovereignty, as well as their intention to strengthen relations with Europe,” the agency quotes a statement from the French leader’s administration.

The Elysee Palace noted that the goal of bringing Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan closer to France “is cooperation in the economic sphere, in particular in the energy sector, in the supply of critical materials, transport, healthcare, agriculture and defense.”

Macron returned to France on Wednesday from a trip to the Middle East. He visited Israel, where he met with the country's President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and also visited Ramallah, where he held talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. On the final day of the trip, he held meetings with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman, and then with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo.

Earlier, the press service of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reported that the French leader would visit Kazakhstan on 1 November.