Assalamu alaikum, dear compatriots!
Happy Republic Day!
Welcome, dear friends!
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished representatives of the Government
and Parliament of the Republic of Slovenia,
Dear colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my great honour to welcome you to the first diplomatic reception hosted by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Slovenia, marking the 36th anniversary of the Republic Day of Kazakhstan.
On 25 October 1990, the Declaration of State Sovereignty was adopted — a historic document that laid the foundations of our independence and defined Kazakhstan’s own unique path.
As our President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has repeatedly emphasized, independence is our highest value, and strengthening it is the shared responsibility of our entire society.
At the heart of our ongoing reforms is the vision of building a Just Kazakhstan — a state based on law and order, responsibility, justice and equality of opportunity, with the ultimate goal of building a Just, Safe, Clean and Strong Kazakhstan.
Following a nationwide referendum, the new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan entered into force on 1 July this year, marking a new stage in the country’s political and legal development.
On 23 August, the first elections were held to Kazakhstan’s new unicameral Parliament — the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world.
Our land is exceptionally rich in natural resources.
Yet Kazakhstan’s greatest wealth is its people.
It is our centuries-old history and culture, our traditions and way of life, our worldview, our unity in diversity, and our ability to live together in peace and harmony while respecting the culture, faith and dignity of every human being.
For centuries, the vast Kazakh steppe served as a crossroads of civilizations, cultures and great trade routes.
Today, Kazakhstan continues this historic mission: connecting East and West, North and South, countries and economies, cultures and people.
Kazakhstan lives in peace and harmony with all its neighbours and has established strategic partnerships with each of them.
We cherish our friendship with all countries in our region and throughout the wider world.
This is the essence of Kazakhstan’s peaceful, multi-vector and balanced foreign policy, which is firmly grounded in respect for the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
In today’s world, Kazakhstan is increasingly establishing itself as a responsible middle power capable of making a constructive contribution to addressing international challenges.
Dear friends,
Modern Kazakhstan aspires to become an economy driven by knowledge, innovation and technology.
Our ambitious goal is to transform Kazakhstan into a fully digital nation.
We are open to investment, technology, new ideas and joint projects.
The year 2026 has been declared the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in my country.
I would like to thank all the Slovenian companies that participated in the Digital Bridge Forum in Astana just three weeks ago.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Kazakhstan and Slovenia are located in different parts of Eurasia.
Today has a very special symbolic meaning for both our countries.
Exactly 34 years ago, on 20 October 1992, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Slovenia established diplomatic relations.
Today, we can confidently say that our friendship has stood the test of time, and our relations are entering a new stage of partnership and closer cooperation.
In 2024, Kazakhstan opened its Embassy in Ljubljana.
In 2025, the historic official visit of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, H.E. Dr Nataša Pirc Musar, to Kazakhstan, and her talks with H.E. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, gave important new momentum to our bilateral relations.
This year, the new Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia assumed his duties in Kazakhstan. Dear Branko, I wish you every success in your mission!
Relations between the foreign ministries of our two countries have also developed particularly dynamically this year. Most recently, our Foreign Ministers had the opportunity to discuss further steps in New York.
Our common task now is to translate this high level of political trust into concrete economic, technological and people-to-people cooperation.
Kazakhstan and Slovenia are already developing cooperation in telecommunications and digital technologies, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, transport and logistics, green technologies, science and education, and tourism.
We have successful companies, promising projects and growing interest from our business communities.
We see considerable potential for further growth and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Dear friends,
Slovenia is well known for its respect for nature, its water resources and forests, and its commitment to environmental protection.
Kazakhstan is implementing the nationwide environmental initiative “Taza Qazaqstan” — “Clean Kazakhstan.”
It represents a new culture of responsibility for our country and for the environment we will leave to future generations.
Another area that can bring our countries even closer together is water.
Slovenia is one of the few countries in the world where the right to drinking water is enshrined in the Constitution.
For Kazakhstan and the whole of Central Asia, water security is of strategic importance.
Kazakhstan has consistently promoted an international initiative to establish an international water organization under the auspices of the United Nations.
I am convinced that environmental cooperation, water diplomacy and green technologies can become another important bridge between our countries.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
One of the principal missions of our Embassy here in Ljubljana is very simple: to bring Kazakhstan and Slovenia closer together.
And I firmly believe that the most exciting chapter in the relationship between Kazakhstan and Slovenia is still ahead of us.
Kazakhstan is today the third-largest supplier of crude oil to the European Union.
Over the past years, as Europe’s energy security has faced considerable turbulence, Kazakhstan has not stepped back. We have stepped forward.
Our country has honoured every contract, kept every shipment moving and expanded the routes through which our oil reaches European refineries.
For us, reliability is a matter of national reputation.
I am also particularly pleased to use this occasion to announce the entry into the Slovenian retail fuel market of a new brand — Kazakhstan’s KMG International.
This is a company with twenty years of operating experience in Europe. In Romania, KMG International operates the Petromidia refinery, one of the region’s leading refineries, with an annual processing capacity of 5.5 million tonnes.
Through its Rompetrol brand, it serves customers at more than 1,400 retail outlets across Romania, Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia.
Here in Slovenia, KMG International is taking over a network of 21 service stations, which will operate under the KMG International brand.
Energy is thus becoming one of the most tangible expressions of the Kazakh-Slovenian partnership.
KazMunayGas comes to Slovenia as a long-term partner — committed to this market, to European standards and to the security of Europe’s energy supply.
I would like to thank the Slovenian authorities for their openness, and I wish our colleagues at KMG International every success.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to my Honorary Adviser on Economic and Trade Affairs, Mr Janez Škrabec, a great friend of Kazakhstan, and to Riko, for his personal contribution, support and invaluable assistance in organizing this evening.
And, of course, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart the entire team of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Slovenia, as well as our Honorary Consuls.
Thank you to each and every one of you for your professionalism, commitment and team spirit.
And finally, dear friends, thank you all for being here with us tonight.
Your presence makes this evening truly special and is perhaps the best testimony to the friendship and mutual respect between our countries and our peoples.
Long live the friendship between Kazakhstan and Slovenia!
Happy Republic Day!
Ulken rahmet — thank you very much!
