At a press meeting on Monday in Tashkent, the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called Uzbekistan a key partner in Central Asia and voiced confidence in the prospects for deepening cooperation.

"If we, Slovaks, stay reasonable, Uzbekistan can become the gateway for us to Afghanistan and other countries in the region. It all depends on us - whether we are ready for cooperation or not," he emphasized. Earlier, еру Director General of the Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) Robert Simončič underscored that Slovakia is deeply integrated into the EU economy - about 80% of exports go to EU countries, so the country needs to diversify its foreign economic relations. 

According to him, the meeting with the President of Uzbekistan was very constructive and open. "The business forum itself confirms that Slovak businesses are already working here on еру successful projects. These projects can be developed further," he underscored. 

As an example, the Prime Minister cited one of the companies renting 500 hectares of agricultural land with plans to grow rice. 

"The President very clearly stated that he is ready to provide Slovak companies with significantly more land if they are interested and will do business in this country under 50/50 partnership - so that it is mutually beneficial," Fico said. 

He also emphasized Uzbekistan’s potential in the automotive industry. 

"This is not only about the cars we manufacture in Slovakia, but also about the American and Chinese automotive industries that are present here. Slovak automotive companies can find huge opportunities here. I am very glad that a representative of the Slovak company Matador (a tire manufacturer - ed.) was present here, who signed deals," the Prime Minister said. 

He focused on water management issues. According to him, Uzbekistan is interested in dam management services, drought, flood and avalanche forecasting - since the country, like Slovakia, faces these natural phenomena. 

"We have submitted to the government of Uzbekistan a proposal from a Slovak consortium willing to work in this area," the prime minister said. 

Speaking about energy, he underscored interest in the project to build a small-scale nuclear power plant (NPP) with the participation of the Russian Rosatom and other international companies. 

"Uzbekistan is a country that can freely make its own decisions, including in matters of choosing the technologies it wants to use. And, most likely, this will be Russian technology used here in Uzbekistan. And since we have five reactors operating in Slovakia, and the sixth is at the completion stage, our country with its expertise can become a valuable partner for Uzbekistan in the field of cooperation in nuclear energy," Fico noted. 

He pointed out that this is not only about power production, but also about regulatory issues. For this reason, the chairman of the regulatory agency was included in the Slovak delegation, "because this area is becoming increasingly important for the region." 

Fico also spoke about plans to invest in metallurgy and transport infrastructure, including road weighing systems and airport technologies. For example, the Slovakian ferroalloy company OFZ plans to invest 50 million euros in production in Uzbekistan. Earlier, it was reported that the company had moved part of its production to Angren. 

The Slovak Prime Minister specifically touched upon labor migration. 

“We were very surprised by Uzbekistan’s offer: with a population of nearly 40 million, the country is ready to provide up to 200 thousand workers for foreign employment,” Robert Fico underscored. While, he added, Slovakia now needs 150 thousand skilled workers, primarily for industry, especially in the automotive industry, but it also needs nurses. 

He pointed out that Uzbekistan already has a model for joint training of specialists with Germany — training is conducted directly on the territory of the country. “We also want to participate in this process,” he emphasized. 

He thanked the Slovak Embassy in Tashkent for its activity in issuing visas. In 2024, almost 3,000 work visas were issued for citizens of Uzbekistan - three times more than the year before. 

"This demand will only grow, because Slovakia has a huge need for foreign labor. Anyone who wants can work here. Only those who do not want to do so do not work. Therefore, it is obvious that we must focus on legal migration," Fico emphasized. 

The parties will discuss how to organize training centers so that manpower suitable for Slovakia jobs, services and other sectors in need shall be trained directly in Uzbekistan.