Prime Minister to Focus on Defence Industry in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Bratislava, 8 June (TASR) - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) announced at a Sunday press conference that during his visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which begins on Sunday and runs until Wednesday (11 June), he intends to focus primarily on the defence industry. According to the premier, the visit to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is primarily aimed at establishing a strategic partnership with Uzbekistan and revitalising economic and friendly relations with both countries. “I personally want to focus on the issue of arms production, because we see enormous potential here,” said Fico. Fico also stated that in 2024 the defence industry contributed €1.14 billion to Slovakia’s GDP and was a key driver of the country’s economic growth, with ambitions for this contribution to reach €1.5 billion in 2025, representing one percent of GDP. lin