This is the continuation of our interview with Ján Bóry, Ambassador of Slovakia to Uzbekistan.
In the first part of the interview, we discussed Schengen visas, tourism, and cultural ties between the two countries.
In this concluding part, we focus on priorities, educational opportunities, and the ambassador’s personal views on the future of cooperation between Slovakia and Uzbekistan.
Yep.uz: What did you like and dislike about Uzbekistan?
Ján Bóry: If I start listing what I liked, it would be a very long list — the hospitality, the climate, which I also enjoy, the cuisine, the history, and the fact that milk is milk, butter is butter, meat is meat, tomatoes are tomatoes, and so on. In Tashkent, even cherries are truly Tashkent cherries. This is no longer the case in many parts of the world.
What I liked less — and this is simply an observation — is that while major reforms and a strong push toward the future are taking place at the top, the lower levels are lagging somewhat behind and are not always capable of adapting quickly. But that is natural, and I understand it. Slovakia may have embarked on reforms and transformation somewhat earlier, but we also made many mistakes. Sometimes it is not a disadvantage to be second, because then you can learn not only from positive experiences but also from negative ones.
And one more thing. Tourism should certainly be developed, but carefully, so that visitors want to return after their first trip. A great deal remains to be done to achieve that, and not only in terms of building five-star hotels. A complete infrastructure is needed. To put it bluntly, perhaps one should start with toilets.
Yep.uz: I completely agree. How would you summarize Slovak-Uzbek relations last year in a single sentence? What was the most important event or process?
Ján Bóry: The political and historical potential for developing economic and academic relations has not yet been fully utilized.
Yep.uz: Could you give an example?
Ján Bóry: Last year Slovakia exported more than €78 billion worth of goods, of which only between €10 million and €20 million went to Uzbekistan. That does not correspond at all to either the potential of Slovak exports or the capacity of the Uzbek market.
Yep.uz: And how much did Uzbekistan export to Slovakia last year?
Ján Bóry: I would be glad to learn that it exported anything at all. The figure was close to zero.
Yep.uz: So Slovakia had a positive trade balance?
Ján Bóry: Of course. One hundred percent, or almost one hundred percent, of bilateral trade turnover consists of Slovak exports, which from my perspective are also almost negligible. However, Uzbekistan’s total exports last year were four times lower than Slovakia’s, and Uzbekistan’s figures are measured in dollars rather than euros. Uzbekistan also has gas. We do not. We have no oil either.
Yep.uz: You used to mine silver and gold. What about coal or shale gas?
Ján Bóry: Gold mining in Slovakia continued until the 1970s. We only have brown coal, and its extraction is gradually being phased out. As for shale gas, there may be some deposits, but we do not want to develop them because it is a very harmful technology with potentially serious environmental consequences. We have no right to expose such a small territory to those risks.
There are very few mineral resources in Slovakia in commercially viable quantities.
In the 1990s we restructured our economy. We experienced a significant economic and social decline until the end of the twentieth century, followed first by modest growth and then by rapid economic expansion. Today we are one of the fastest-growing countries in Europe and in the European Union.
Returning to trade between our countries, I should note that official statistics do not fully reflect reality. Some goods are exported through transit countries such as Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey, and different methods are used to determine the country of origin. Therefore, Slovak exports here are somewhat higher than official figures suggest. I can feel that.
For example, in Libya, where Slovak export statistics were also low, there were many Volkswagen cars produced in Slovakia. However, Volkswagen’s headquarters are in Germany, so on paper even vehicles manufactured exclusively in Slovakia appeared as German exports. In addition, many Libyans bought cars in Dubai and brought them to Libya, but nowhere were they recorded as imports of Slovak products.
Yep.uz: What does Slovakia sell to Uzbekistan?
Ján Bóry: Industrial equipment, including machinery for the food-processing sector, particularly meat processing. I know of several companies that supplied equipment for vacuum-frying vegetable chips. Pumps were previously supplied to the Ferganaazot plant, and we would like to resume deliveries there as well as to other customers.
There is also medical and dental equipment from Chirana. Their respiratory equipment was used in hospitals throughout the Soviet Union. Slovak pharmaceuticals should also be present here, because our pharmaceutical sector is strong.
When I presented my credentials to the President, he mentioned pharmaceuticals, food processing, energy, and the chemical industry — all areas that should be of interest to Uzbekistan.
Yep.uz: And what does Uzbekistan export to Slovakia?
Ján Bóry: Small quantities of agricultural products — nuts, especially walnuts, and raisins.
Yep.uz: Uzbekistan is trying to attract foreign investment. How successfully are Slovak citizens and companies participating? Are there any plans for investment projects?
Ján Bóry: There is often a long journey from intentions to actual operations.
Yep.uz: So it is still too early to talk about specifics?
Ján Bóry: Last year we made substantial progress on one promising investment project. This year a contract for production facilities will probably be signed.
The company participated in last year’s UzMedExpo, brought specialists here, and wants to establish production of respiratory and anesthesia equipment in Uzbekistan. It has registered locally as Chirana-Uz, part of the Shimco Invest Group.
The owner, Mr. Vasiliy Shimko, is Slovak on his father’s side but was born in Uzbekistan and lived here with his family. He later moved to Moscow, where he became a successful businessman, while also conducting business activities in Slovakia. In Uzbekistan he owns the confectionery company Zarqand.
Chirana is a fairly large company. The respiratory and anesthesia equipment it plans to manufacture here will initially be sold on the Uzbek market, with future expansion throughout Central Asia and potentially to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and even India.
The company also produces dental equipment, although a plant for that purpose was opened in Moscow last year. Perhaps later a dental equipment production line will be established here as well.
Chirana products are not something people use every day like milk, but if an Uzbek brand emerges, jobs are created, imports are replaced, and exports become possible, that would be extremely positive. Uzbekistan has not previously produced equipment at this level of international quality.
Yep.uz: We used to manufacture aircraft.
Ján Bóry: But perhaps not at this technological level. We are talking about multi-level lung ventilation systems. Equipment of this kind may exist in two or three hospitals here, but not across the entire country. In some places people are happy simply to have oxygen supplied. This project involves positive and negative gases. Xenon is added to the mixture and can have therapeutic effects even before surgery.
Your surgeons perform operations very well, but there are cases where patients die because of shortcomings in postoperative care and rehabilitation equipment.
Initially, Chirana-Uz only planned to sell respiratory and anesthesia equipment produced in Slovakia. However, after consultations with the Uzbek side and taking into account the country’s economic and investment reforms, the decision was made to establish a Slovak industrial cluster in Uzbekistan, with this company acting as a pioneer.
The same site may later host Slovak production of biological waste-treatment systems. The manufacturing facility will be located in Tashkent, although I cannot yet disclose the exact location.
Of course, Slovakia cannot compete with larger countries, but we have strong companies in certain sectors, including information technology.
In January this year, Asseco Central Asia opened in Uzbekistan. It is a subsidiary of the international Asseco group, which has a significant Slovak presence. Asseco is a major provider of IT business solutions operating in 84 countries, and Uzbekistan will become its 85th market.
The company plans to focus primarily on Uzbekistan, while also serving Central Asia as a whole. Asseco employs 24,000 people worldwide, including 5,000 IT specialists. The company manages Slovakia’s entire Schengen visa system and could theoretically manage Uzbekistan’s visa system as well.
Representatives have already visited the State Committee for Tourism Development, the State Tax Committee, the Ministry of Culture, the Pension Fund, and other organizations.
Yep.uz: Which bilateral political and economic events planned for this year would you highlight?
Ján Bóry: We would like to convene a meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic issues. We tried to organize it last year but postponed it to 2019 due to various circumstances.
We also expect interdepartmental consultations at the deputy foreign minister level. A possible visit by a minister of culture, either to Slovakia or to Uzbekistan, is under discussion.
This year Slovakia holds the chairmanship of the OSCE, and our foreign minister plans to visit all five Central Asian countries.
I see enormous potential in education — not only university studies but also short specialized training courses. Because Slovakia is a member of the European Union, there are many opportunities through Erasmus programs, including training for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs.
In January I discussed with Uzbekistan’s relatively young International Arbitration Court the possibility of bringing Slovak specialists to share their experience.
Medical and dental education also offer strong prospects. Did you know that more than 20 percent, perhaps even 30 percent, of Iceland’s doctors were educated in Slovakia? Between 1,000 and 1,500 Norwegian medical students have studied in our country. We also have students from Cyprus and Greece.
Twice a year, by March 31 and October 31, Slovakia’s National Scholarship Programme accepts applications from around the world. Residents of Uzbekistan may apply as well. Successful candidates receive scholarships, accommodation support, meal allowances, and spending money.
Yet applications from Uzbekistan are still several times fewer than those from the much smaller country of Tajikistan.
Together with the Embassy of Slovakia in Uzbekistan, Yep.uz has prepared an interesting quiz about Slovakia. Learn the participation rules and take the challenge — the first two questions will appear on the website on Tuesday, February 19, at 10:00 a.m.