The document "On development of cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the French Republic" the Uzbek president signed the other day states that the government will discuss the uranium purchase request from Cogema.

The Goskomgeologiya or State Committee for Geology, Navoi Mining and Smelting, and Ministry of Foreign Economic Contacts, Investments, and Commerce are instructed to contemplate the French company's request. No information on the volume or delivery dates is available at this point. Officials of Cogema office in Tashkent decline comments.

Navoi Mining and Smelting and Cogema planned a joint production of uranium in Surgaly (Central Kyzylkum) in the late 1990's. (This field is believed to contain 38,000 tons of uranium.) The parties abandoned the idea in May 1999 after eighteen months of negotiations because they could not reach an agreement on details of the future joint venture and because price of uranium in the world market did not amount to too much at the moment.

Navoi Mining and Smelting is the only producer of enriched uranium in Uzbekistan. Along with uranium, it produces about 85% of the national output of gold. According to the Information Center of the State Committee for Geology, Navoi Mining and Smelting produced 2.016 thousand tons of uranium in 2004 and 2.301 thousand tons in 2005.

The increased production is attributed to the favorable situation in the world market. Navoi Mining and Smelting has a great deal of contracts nowadays. All uranium is exported because Uzbekistan lacks atomic industry of its own.

There are 40 uranium fields in Uzbekistan, 27 of them (in Kyzylkum) are being exploited. According to the IAEA, the established resources amount to 55,000 tons of uranium and probable reserves to about 120,000 tons. Uzbekistan is the owner of the 7th largest reserves of uranium, the 3rd largest exporter, and the 5th largest producer of uranium.