The renewed momentum follows the visit of an Uzbekistani delegation to Ljubljana, led by Investment, Industry and Trade Minister Laziz Kudratov, for a session of the Slovenian-Uzbekistani commission for economic cooperation.
During the visit, Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and Minister Kudratov signed a cooperation protocol outlining new opportunities in logistics, pharmaceuticals, communication technologies, agriculture, and critical raw materials.
Bilateral trade reached USD 176 million in 2024—up 60% from the previous year—making Uzbekistan Slovenia’s second-largest trading partner in Central Asia. Both sides expressed confidence that intensified government-level coordination will help achieve the goal of doubling trade.
A major strategic pillar of the partnership is cooperation on rare earth elements, essential for technologies ranging from smartphones to wind turbines. The Uzbekistani delegation met with researchers at the Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia’s leading scientific institution, to explore supply chains, recycling technologies, and joint research. The institute emphasized that closer collaboration would diversify sources of critical materials and reduce Europe’s dependence on China, while helping both countries advance research and industrial applications in this high-value sector.
