A delegation led by Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade (MIIT) of Uzbekistan, held a series of joint Uzbek-Slovenian events in Ljubljana focused on deepening bilateral trade, economic, and investment cooperation with Slovenia’s business community on May 14–15.

During the visit, Minister Kudratov met with Matjaž Han, Minister of the Economy, Tourism, and Sport of Slovenia, as well as leaders of SID Bank. The delegation also participated in bilateral business discussions and an expanded roundtable involving top executives from leading Slovenian companies.

At these meetings, the Uzbek side showcased the country’s investment potential, emphasizing untapped industrial resources, preferential access to key regional markets, and practical collaboration opportunities aimed at fostering effective business-to-business partnerships.

Slovenian officials and business representatives praised Uzbekistan’s ongoing reforms and expressed strong commitment to intensify cooperation across all mutually beneficial sectors.

Several agreements were made to boost bilateral trade turnover to $500mn by expanding both product range and volume. Key products identified for growth include textiles, horticultural goods, mineral fertilizers, plastics, non-ferrous metals, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, industrial equipment, and other high value-added products.

Both parties agreed on plans to establish major clusters for cultivating medicinal herbs, jointly producing pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and developing training programs to improve the skills of Uzbek pharmaceutical professionals. Additionally, efforts will be accelerated to finalize an intergovernmental agreement on organized labor migration, aimed at facilitating employment opportunities for Uzbek nurses and doctors in Slovenia.

Following the successful meetings in Ljubljana, the MIIT delegation proceeded with its official visit to Budapest to continue promoting Uzbekistan’s economic interests abroad.