As part of strengthening bilateral cooperation in digital technology and innovation, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Slovenia Altai Aviblayev met on Wednesday with Leon Cizeli, Director of the leading research and technology center József Stefan Institute, and Mojka Stulz, Director of the Digital Society, Ministry of Digital Transformation of the Republic of Slovenia, and had a substantive discussion on the current status and prospects of technological innovation. Digital economy, artificial intelligence, information and communication technology.
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan informed the Slovenian side that by the decision of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 2026 has been declared the “Year of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies”, reflecting the country’s strategic priorities to accelerate digital transformation and introduce advanced AI-based solutions in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
It was noted that Kazakhstan ranks 24th in the world in digital technology development, showing steady progress in this field. Particular attention was paid to Kazakhstan’s achievements in the development of the e-government ecosystem and the great successes in the banking sector, where the introduction of fintech solutions has significantly improved the accessibility and quality of financial services for the population.
Kazakhstan’s approach to strengthening the export of IT services to international markets was presented separately, including the capabilities of the national eGov.kz digital platform and the activities of Astana Hub, an international technopark for IT startups, which serves as an important platform for the development of Kazakhstan’s innovation ecosystem. During the discussion, the objectives of the Technopark were highlighted, including supporting start-ups, attracting international technology companies and developing the export potential of IT services.
The parties also discussed in detail the agenda of the upcoming Kazakhstan-Slovenia Business Forum “AI Digital Bridge” in Ljubljana. The forum aims to bring together representatives of government agencies, businesses and scientific communities of Kazakhstan and Slovenia and to create favorable conditions for launching new joint initiatives and projects.
The Slovenian side confirmed the completion of the coordination process and expressed its readiness to sign a memorandum of cooperation between the relevant ministries.
The Ambassador also conveyed an official invitation from Deputy Prime Minister Zaslan Madiyev, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan and Co-Chairman of the Kazakhstan-Slovenia Intergovernmental Committee, to Ksenija Krampfer, Minister of Digital Transformation of Slovenia, to participate in the international technology forum GITEX AI to be held in Almaty on May 4-5. This forum will serve as an important platform for exchanging experiences and establishing direct contacts with government agencies and representatives of the business community of both countries.
After the meeting, an agreement in principle was reached on further comprehensive development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Slovenia in the field of artificial intelligence and ICT, including support for start-up companies, implementation of joint research projects, exchange of experience in digitalization of public administration, development of partnerships between technology companies and research centers, and training of highly qualified professionals.
As previously reported, Kazakhstan and Slovenia are exploring new horizons for bilateral cooperation.
