As part of strengthening bilateral cooperation in digital technologies and innovation, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Slovenia Altay Abibullayev held meetings on Wednesday with Leon Cizelj, Director of the leading research and technology center Jožef Stefan Institute, and Mojca Štruc, Director General for Digital Society at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of the Republic of Slovenia, where they held substantive discussions on the current state and prospects of the development of the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and information and communication technologies.
Photo source: gov.kz
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan informed the Slovenian side that 2026 has been declared the “Year of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies” in the Republic of Kazakhstan by decision of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, reflecting the country’s strategic priority to accelerate digital transformation and introduce advanced AI-based solutions.
It was noted that Kazakhstan ranks 24th in the world in terms of digital technology development, demonstrating steady progress in this field. Particular attention was paid to Kazakhstan’s achievements in the development of its e-government ecosystem, as well as to significant successes in the banking sector, where the introduction of fintech solutions has substantially increased the accessibility and quality of financial services for citizens.
Kazakhstan’s approaches to enhancing the export of IT services to international markets were presented separately, including the functionality of the national eGov.kz digital platform and the activities of Astana Hub, an international technopark of IT startups that serves as a key platform for the development of Kazakhstan’s innovation ecosystem. During the discussion, the objectives of the technopark were emphasized, including supporting startups, attracting international technology companies, and developing the export potential of IT services.
The parties also discussed in detail the agenda of the upcoming Kazakh–Slovenian Business Forum “AI Digital Bridge” in Ljubljana, which aims to bring together representatives of government institutions, business, and scientific communities of Kazakhstan and Slovenia, creating favorable conditions for launching new joint initiatives and projects.
The Slovenian side confirmed the completion of the coordination process and expressed readiness to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation between the relevant ministries.
The Ambassador also conveyed the official invitation from the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan and Co-Chairman of the Kazakh–Slovenian Intergovernmental Commission, Zhaslan Madiyev, addressed to the Minister of Digital Transformation of Slovenia, Ksenija Klampfer, to participate in the international technology forum GITEX AI in Almaty on May 4–5. The forum will serve as an important platform for exchanging experiences and establishing direct contacts between representatives of government institutions and business communities of the two countries.
Following the meetings, agreements in principle were reached on the further comprehensive development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Slovenia in the fields of artificial intelligence and ICT, including support for startup companies, implementation of joint research projects, exchange of experience in the digitalization of public administration, development of partnerships between technology companies and research centers, as well as the training of highly qualified specialists.
Photo source: gov.kz
As previously reported, Kazakhstan and Slovenia explore new horizons of bilateral cooperation.