Diplomatic relations were established January 1, 1993.
In 2005, the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Kazakhstan was opened.
In 2006, the Republic of Kazakhstan opened a diplomatic mission in Bratislava with a permanent residence of the Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Prague.
In 2009, the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Czech Republic and Slovakia was opened.
In 2019, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Slovakia was opened.
Since June 2022, Tolezhan Barlybayev has been the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Slovak Republic.
Since September 2022, Robert Kirnag has been the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Since October 18, 2021, Honorary Consulate of the Slovak Republic has been operating in Ust-Kamenogorsk.
Since December 19, 2022, Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Kazakhstan has been operating in Banska Bystrica.
Political cooperation
Top level contacts
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev paid a state visit to the Slovak Republic on November 20-21, 2007.
The Presidents of the Slovak Republic visited Kazakhstan three times (Rudolf Schuster – with an official visit on November 14-15, 2001; Ivan Gašparovič – with an official visit on March 29-31, 2010 and on December 1-2, 2010 as the head of the Slovak delegation to OSCE Summit).
In addition, the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev met with Slovak President Rudolf Schuster as part of the OSCE Summit in Istanbul on November 18, 1999.
High-level contacts (2018-2021)
On November 15-16, 2018, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini paid an official visit to Kazakhstan.
On April 7-8, 2019, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Miroslav Lajčák paid a visit to Kazakhstan as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.
On July 9, 2019, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Beibut Atamkulov paid a working visit to Slovakia to participate in the informal OSCE Ministerial Council.
On October 7-8, 2020, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan M. Tileuberdi paid a working visit to Slovakia within the framework of participation in the 15th international «Globsec» forum in Bratislava.
On September 29, 2021, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for international cooperation paid a working visit to Bratislava.
On October 11, 2021, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic I. Korcok paid an official visit to Kazakhstan.
Inter-parliamentary cooperation
Visits to Slovakia:
- deputies of the Majilis and Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan (6 times from 1999 to 2017);
- Deputy of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kuanysh Sultanov as Special Envoy of the President of Kazakhstan to promote the candidacy of the country for the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018 (February 23-24, 2015);
- Deputies of the Majilis and the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan to participate in the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Bratislava (May 31-June 3, 2019).
Visits to Kazakhstan:
- Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the National Council (Parliament), member of the delegation to PACE M. Kery (November 22, 2021);
- Chairmen of the National Council of Slovakia Pavol Paška (June 10-13, 2013), Andrej Danko (September 23-24, 2019);
- Chairman of the Constitutional and Legal Committee of the National Council of Slovakia R. Madei (April 24-27, 2015);
- deputies of the Slovak parliament led by the head of the inter-parliamentary Friendship Group Peter Marček (June 9-10, 2017, meeting with Kazakhstani deputies of the Friendship Group);
Inter-parliamentary groups for cooperation with Slovakia operate in the Majilis and Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan (Chairman of the group in the Senate is O. Perepechina, Chairman of the Finance and Budget Committee; Chairman of the group in the Majilis is B. Torgaev, a member of the Committee on Agrarian Issues).
A friendship group with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan has been formed in the Slovak parliament, with 16 members. The chairman of the friendship group is Adriana Pcolinska.
Legal foundation
Between Kazakhstan and Slovakia, a total of 26 international treaties were signed (23 agreements are currently in force).
On October 8, 2020, a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of forestry was signed in Bratislava between the Committee for Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the State Enterprise «State Forests of the Slovak Republic»;
On October 7, 2020, a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of tourism was signed in Bratislava between the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic;
On December 10, 2020, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of water resources was signed in Bratislava between the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic.
On February 26, 2021, a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Council of Slovak Exporters and the QazTrade Trade Policy Development Center was signed in Bratislava.
On October 11, 2021, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed in Nur-Sultan between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and Slovakia in the field of official development assistance.
Multilateral cooperation
Slovakia has supported Kazakhstan’s accession to the Council of Europe conventions in the field of criminal justice and the fight against corruption.
Slovakia also supported the candidacy of Kazakhstan for the position of non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018; to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for 2013-2017, and took an active part in the EXPO 2017 exhibition in Astana where the Slovak pavilion took second place among 115 participants in the category “Design for pavilions with an area of less than 400 square meters.”
In addition, Slovakia, among the first European countries, has ratified the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the EU, and supports Kazakhstan in the issue of liberalization of the visa regime by the EU for citizens of Kazakhstan.
Trade and economic cooperation
Relations in the trade and economic sphere are characterized by consistent development and have the potential for further expansion.
Kazakhstan considers Slovakia an important political, trade and economic partner in Central and Eastern Europe and the European Union as a whole. The developed processing industries, electronics, mechanical engineering, the chemical industry, and information technology in Slovakia are of significant interest to Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan and Slovakia have significant transit and transport potential. Overland routes from Asia to Europe pass through the territory of both Kazakhstan and Slovakia. As a result, participation in projects within the framework of the Belts and Road Initiative is relevant for the two states.
The stimulating prerequisites for the active development of mutually beneficial cooperation are the introduction of a visa-free regime for Slovak citizens on January 1, 2017, and the participation of Slovakia in the international exhibition EXPO 2017.
According to the data of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan, bilateral trade turnover in January-December 2022 amounted to 120.2 million US dollars (exports – 1.8 million US dollars, imports – 118.3 million US dollars).
The main articles of Kazakhstan’s exports are natural gas, fertilisers, machine parts and devices.
The main articles of Kazakhstan’s imports are machinery, machinery, equipment, construction materials, herbicides, medicines, food products, pulp from wood, printing products, textiles, furniture, etc.
Between 2005 and Q2 2022, the gross inflow of direct investment from Slovakia to Kazakhstan amounted to $21.8 million.
As of December 2021, about 31 legal entities, branches and representative offices with Slovak participation were registered in Kazakhstan (“Oftum” laser vision correction centres, a company in the field of backup power supply “ELTECO”, companies in the development and sale of chemical reconnaissance vehicles for defence KANTO METAL and CSBC industries; CME. Slovakia, a company for the supply of diagnostic and treatment technologies; Ish Pumps Olomouc, a supplier of pumps and valves for power plants; PROGAST, a company in the field of complex meat processing industrial support), including 29 small, 1 large and one medium, including 26 active and 23 joint ventures (of which 13 are in operation).
An important mechanism for bilateral interaction is the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. To date, 9 meetings of the IGC have been held (the latter took place in Bratislava on March 10-11, 2022). Vice-Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources T. Momyshev was appointed co-chairman of the commission from the Kazakh side, and State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic K. Galek was appointed co-chairman from the Slovak side. Within the framework of the IGC, a business forum was held with the participation of representatives of the business circles of Kazakhstan and Slovakia.
Cultural and Humanitarian Cooperation
Kazakhstan and Slovakia attach great importance to the development of bilateral cultural and humanitarian ties, so the past years have been full of vibrant creative activities.
Over the years, the Camerata of Kazakhstan ensemble, Honoured Artist of Kazakhstan Maira Muhamedkyzy, Zhamilya Serkebayeva and others performed in Slovakia.
On April 26, 2017, in Bratislava, a gala concert was organized by the ethnical and folk ensemble Duir and the Shabyt orchestra of the Kazakh National University of Arts, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The gala concert took place in the famous Reduta concert hall of the Slovak Philharmonic.
On December 6, 2017 in Bratislava, a gala concert and a fashion show of the Kazakhstani fashion industry, Kazakhstan Fashion Week Astana, took place. The collections of national designers were demonstrated, revealing the culture and spiritual traditions of the Kazakh people.
In turn, on July 18, 2017, as part of the National Day of Slovakia at EXPO 2017 in Astana, a concert of the famous Slovak folk and dance ensemble “Archer”, the winner of many international competitions, was held accompanied by a fashion show from famous Slovak fashion designers.
The media of both countries regularly cover events in Kazakhstan and Slovakia, respectively. On a regular basis, press tours of journalists are organized, for example, in 2018, the Khabar-24 TV company visited Slovakia twice and released a number of reports on bilateral relations. On December 10, 2018, a conference was held in Bratislava with the presentation of the book “Kazakhstan-Slovakia: 25 years of mutual understanding and partnership”, which brought together authoritative representatives of the Slovak society. During the event, an article by the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev “Seven Facets of the Great Steppe” was presented, which caused genuine interest of the participants.
On January 30, 2020, in honor of the 175th anniversary of Abai Kunanbaev, a solemn ceremony of donating by the National Academic Library of Kazakhstan more than 200 editions of Abai’s works, and works dedicated to his life and work, as well as a “round table”, dedicated to the work of Abai.
On October 5, 2020, in Bratislava (online), the presentation of the first translation of Abai's Words of Edification into the Slovak language took place, which aroused great interest among the Slovak public.
On March 17, 2021, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Slovakia, together with the national company Kazakh Tourism and the British publishing house Hertforshire Press, held an online presentation of a new book “101 zážitkov z Kazachstanu” (“101 impressions of Kazakhstan”), one of the first books about Kazakhstan in Slovak language.
There are actively developing ties in the field of education. The basis for successful inter-university cooperation is created by the corresponding memorandum between the ministries of education of the two countries of November 2, 2009.
Existing agreements and contacts between universities provide an opportunity for internships by undergraduates and doctoral students at universities of the two countries, joint scientific management of doctoral dissertations, exchange of students and faculty. So, L. Gumilyov Eurasian National University signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Cyril and Methodius, a cooperation agreement with the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava. KazNU named after Al-Farabi entered into cooperation agreements with the University of Prešov, the Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra and the University of Cyril and Methodius. The Abylaikhan Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages has a cooperation agreement with the University of Konstantin Philosopher in Nitra. Kostanai State University named after A. Baitursynova concluded a cooperation agreement with Comenius University in Bratislava. Zhetysu State University named after I.Zhansugurov has an agreement with the University of Zhilina, while Kokshetau State University named after Shokan Ualikhanov entered into an agreement with the Trenčany University named after A. Dubček.
There is an agreement on cooperation within the framework of the Erasmus + International Credit Mobility program between the University. Y. Safarik in Kosice and Kokshetau University. Sh. Ualikhanov and Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University.