Uzbek President Mirziyoyev pays official visit to Slovenia

Slovenia and Uzbekistan enjoy close and friendly relations, mostly cultivated on the margins of multilateral events, but there is a common interest in deepening cooperation.

As Slovenia wishes to strengthen its presence in Central Asia, talks are already underway to appoint a non-resident ambassador to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan being Slovenia’s second largest foreign trading partner in this part of Asia, it aims to increase economic cooperation between the two countries. Trade and economic cooperation between the two countries is showing steady growth. Thus, by the end of 2024, the trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Slovenia amounted to 175.7 million US dollars, an increase of 60.3% compared to the previous year. The main items of Uzbekistan's exports to Slovenia are services, clothing, chemical products, and mechanical devices. Meanwhile, imports from Slovenia are represented by products made of stone, ceramics and gypsum, furniture, as well as various services.

The statistics for the first quarter of 2025 is particularly noteworthy - the volume of trade turnover reached $127 million, an increase of 47.8% compared to the same period last year. Notably, exports from Uzbekistan increased more than 20-fold, while imports from Slovenia decreased by 10%, demonstrating the growing competitiveness of Uzbek products in the European market.

Slovenian companies, such as Krka, Kontron, Duol and Sandoz, are already doing business in Uzbekistan or planning to enter the market. The countries are excellent partners in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as sport (gymnastics and karate) and artificial intelligence.

There are numerous opportunities to further strengthen economic ties.  Among the promising areas of mutual trade are the supply of Uzbek textiles, food products, leather, light industry goods, and chemical products to Slovenia. At the same time, Uzbekistan is interested in importing high-tech equipment, pharmaceuticals, components, medicine, digitalization and know-how from Slovenia in the fields of sustainable energy.
Uzbekistan has declared 2025 as the year of environmental protection and green economy, demonstrating an admirable commitment to sustainable development. President Pirc Musar welcomed the decision, highlighting that Slovenia is ready to cooperate in the field of green technologies and ecological innovation.

The two countries have already signed key economic agreements that will facilitate greater cooperation. Today will mark an important step forward, as the ministries of both governments signed seven key legal documents, namely:

·    Agreement on the Mutual Waiver of Short-Stay Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic Passports,
·    Agreement on Cooperation in Education, Science and Culture,
·    Memorandum of Understanding in Transport and Logistics,
·    Memorandum of Understanding in Tourism,
·    Memorandum of Understanding in Smart City Development,
·    Protocol of Intent to Cooperate on Water Resources Conservation Technologies,
·    Protocol on Standardisation.

The two presidents expressed mutual satisfaction, as these agreements reflect a shared vision of a dynamic and forward-looking partnership and will contribute greatly to continued cooperation.

Additionally, there are plans to enable Uzbek students to study in Slovenia, as the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation is working on new scholarship schemes for international students.As part of the visit, President Mirziyoyev also met with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and President of the National Assembly Urška Klakočar Zupančič.

In the afternoon, Presidents Pirc Musar and Mirziyoyev attended the Slovenian-Uzbek business forum, where they addressed the participating business community representatives of both countries. Slovenia and Uzbekistan aim to build long-term strategic partnerships based on tangible business collaboration. The forum takes an important step in this direction, providing an opportunity to showcase the Slovenian and Uzbek business environments and to facilitate networking between interested business owners.