French President Emmanuel Macron has visited the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan for the first time. He and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev agreed to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

Macron was accompanied by a delegation of business leaders from the energy, nuclear and other sectors for his official visit on Wednesday.

Macron and Tokayev held talks and confirmed that the two countries will boost cooperation in energy and other fields.

In a joint news conference, Macron said he wants to strengthen and accelerate his country's partnership with Kazakhstan.

Tokayev called Macron's visit historic, and said the bilateral cooperation is particularly significant in today's difficult geopolitical situation.

Observers say France is trying to deepen ties with Kazakhstan, which is rich in natural resources, including uranium.

They also say France seeks to increase its presence in Central Asia as Russia's influence in the region is declining following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Kazakhstan apparently aims to strengthen its ties with France to diversify its economy while minimizing the impact of Western sanctions on Russia.

Russia's presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed that Moscow's relations with Kazakhstan will not be affected by Macron's visit. He said Kazakhstan is Russia's ally.