AKIPRESS.COM - Foreign Minister of France Catherine Colonna arrived in Mongolia on Thursday for a visit aimed at strengthening ties and boosting her country's access to Mongolian vast rich mineral resources, news.mn reported.

"I've arrived in Mongolia, a democracy three times the size of France, landlocked between China and Russia," Colonna said in a tweet. France and Mongolia, she said, share a "partnership that strengthens the sovereignty and strategic autonomy of our two countries".

The visit will build on a trip to the country by President Emmanuel Macron last month, a diplomatic official told reporters.

Several projects are underway in France, including a large one aimed at developing uranium mines, the Minister noted. This large project by the French nuclear company Orano has not yet been approved by the Mongolian government.

The project is estimated at "more than a billion euros" and will "make it possible to extract a significant quantity of uranium to reinforce the strategic autonomy" of France, according to the official. A deal is being negotiated, and is on a "tight schedule", Colonna stressed.

Colonna took part in a meeting of foreign ministers on feminist diplomacy and women's rights, organised by Mongolia and sponsored by France and Germany, Paris's Foreign Ministry said.