Today the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Slovenia mark the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations, El.kz cites MFA.
Over the past years, a dialogue of trust has been established and maintained between the countries at the highest and high levels, fostering constructive relations and mutually beneficial cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats.
Cooperation within the framework of multilateral structures is a dynamic area of interaction. Slovenia has supported Kazakhstan's Chairmanship at the OSCE in 2010, Slovenian leadership has been one of the first supporters of the bid to host the summit in Astana, the international exhibition EXPO 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan's candidacy to a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for 2017-2018 and the UN Human Rights Council for 2022-2024. For its part, Kazakhstan voted for Slovenia to the IAEA Board of Governors for 2021-2022.
Interparliamentary interaction plays a significant role in bilateral relations. The Kazakh and Slovenian parliaments have friendship and cooperation groups that facilitate contact between MPs through visits and thematic events.
The Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation is an essential bilateral mechanism. In addition, in 2014, the Kazakhstan-Slovenian Business Club (KSBC) was established at the initiative of Kazakh and Slovenian entrepreneurs to expand business cooperation. Cooperation prospects in such areas as investments, transport, logistics, information technology, tourism, health care, pharmaceuticals, and education, as well as expansion of the contractual and legal framework of bilateral relations, are being highlighted.
Currently, 19 companies registered Slovenian capital in Kazakhstan, particularly in the pharmaceutical, renewable energy, engineering, and telecommunications sectors (KRKA, Gorenje, Lek, BisolGroup, DUOL, Iskrat), of which 8 are joint ventures, and 11 are 100% Slovenian capital companies.
Kazakhstan and Slovenia share a common historical legacy of fighting fascism during World War II. In particular, there is a Memorial to Soviet Soldiers in the Slovenian city of Trnovo, where the names of fallen Kazakhstani soldiers are immortalized on commemorative plaques.
Meanwhile, in 2018, a solemn meeting was held in the village of Povir to commemorate the Kazakh hero Kasse Sebero, who fought with the Yugoslav partisans and died in the fight against fascism in 1943. A memorial plaque with the words “Despite the distance, your immortal feat will remain in the memory of your people!” was unveiled during the event.
Three decades have shown that our countries successfully interact in many areas of mutual interest and continue to enhance their cooperation.