On 9 June 2025, a meeting between President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico took place in Tashkent, marking a qualitative leap forward in Uzbek-Slovak relations. During the talks, the leaders addressed a broad range of issues aimed at deepening practical cooperation and signed a Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership.
President Mirziyoyev emphasized that Prime Minister Fico’s visit opens a new page in the history of bilateral relations. In recent years, cooperation between the two countries has shown steady growth: regular political contacts have been established at the foreign ministry level, and business and humanitarian exchanges have gained momentum.
In May 2025, the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission was successfully held, providing impetus for new cooperative projects.
Trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Slovakia is steadily increasing. Both sides expressed their intention to boost its volume through the diversification of supplies. Uzbekistan is ready to export textiles, agricultural products, electrical equipment, chemical products, and polymers, while Slovakia offers rubber, automotive components, pharmaceuticals, and other industrial goods.
Amid modern challenges and an unstable international environment, the parties underscored the importance of systematic interaction and coordination through their foreign ministries, including partnerships with European institutions. Special attention was given to eliminating technical barriers to trade: agreements on technical regulation and metrology were signed, and a deal was reached to launch a quantum standard laboratory.
A key outcome was the decision to develop a comprehensive Industrial Cooperation Program, covering projects in agriculture, localization of automotive components, pharmaceutical production, green energy, and tourism.
Prospects are also emerging in the field of digital technologies: a proposal was made to establish a joint venture fund to accelerate IT startups. Existing financial instruments will be utilized to support these initiatives.
To implement all agreements, the governments of both countries will develop a comprehensive roadmap to ensure the timely execution of the outlined plans.
At the conclusion of the talks, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Robert Fico signed the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership—a document that solidifies the new status of relations. In the presence of the leaders, several agreements were also exchanged, including:
- Agreement on the Training of Diplomatic Personnel;
- Agreement on Cooperation in Agriculture;
- Agreement on Standardization, Metrology, and Product Conformity Assessment;
- Agreement on the Regulation of Energy Markets;
- Cooperation Program between Foreign Ministries for 2025–2026;
- Cooperation Program in Standardization for 2025–2026.
///nCa, 10 June 2025