BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 12. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini’s visit to Azerbaijan on July 13 is set to mark a new stage in the development of strategic and friendly relations between Baku and Bratislava.
The visit carries particular symbolic significance because it includes a trip to Karabakh, where Slovakia is participating in the reconstruction of Azerbaijan’s liberated territories through one of the largest international projects currently underway — the construction of a modern smart village.
Karabakh has become one of the clearest examples of the practical expansion of Azerbaijani-Slovak cooperation. While energy once served as the primary pillar of bilateral ties, the partnership now extends to reconstruction, industry, transport, technology, humanitarian cooperation and parliamentary diplomacy.
A Symbolic Visit to Aghdam
One of the key elements of President Pellegrini’s program will be a visit to Aghdam district, where he will review progress on the Smart Village project in Bash Garvand and take part in the foundation-stone ceremony for a new school named after Slovak national hero General Milan Rastislav Štefánik. The establishment of a school bearing the name of a prominent Slovak figure on Azerbaijan’s liberated territories is being viewed as a symbol of trust and friendship between the two countries.
The Bash Garvand Smart Village is among the largest
international reconstruction projects in Karabakh. It includes 851
individual homes, 10 apartment buildings, a school, a kindergarten,
a medical center and modern infrastructure.
During his official visit to Slovakia in December 2025, Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the importance of the
project.
“The “smart village,” which is now in the process of construction, will be a symbol of Slovakian success in the liberated areas. The village, which consists of 851 houses and 10 apartment buildings, as well as a school, a kindergarten, and a medical center, will be a reflection of your achievements and a symbol of our friendship forever,” President Ilham Aliyev said.
Those remarks have gained added significance ahead of Pellegrini’s trip. If President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Bratislava represented an important milestone in bilateral relations, the Slovak president’s visit to Karabakh demonstrates that the agreements reached then are now being implemented on the ground.
Slovakia’s contribution is not limited to construction. Bratislava has also provided equipment for humanitarian demining operations, helping clear liberated areas of mines and unexploded ordnance and facilitating the return of former internally displaced persons.
Strategic Partnership Expands
The official visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Slovakia in December 2025 gave a major boost to bilateral relations.
At the time, President Pellegrini emphasized Azerbaijan’s importance for the region.
“Slovakia views Azerbaijan as a partner of strategic importance in the region in which it is located. Azerbaijan is the largest economy in the South Caucasus. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia and Europe and is rich in energy resources,” the Slovak leader said.
President Ilham Aliyev described Slovakia and Azerbaijan as genuinely friendly countries and strategic partners.
During that visit, the two sides signed a broad package of agreements covering consular cooperation, animal health and food safety, defense industry cooperation, cultural exchanges and cooperation between Azerbaijan’s Small and Medium Business Development Agency and the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
High-Level Delegation Reflects Strong Interest
Pellegrini is accompanied by one of the most senior Slovak delegations to visit Azerbaijan in recent years, including Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák, Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Denisa Saková, Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok and National Bank of Slovakia Governor Peter Kažimír.
The composition of the delegation indicates that Bratislava views cooperation with Azerbaijan in a comprehensive way, encompassing politics, economics, industry, investment, security and finance.
According to the presidential office, the talks will focus on expanding energy cooperation, supporting Slovak exports, developing industrial and technological partnerships, improving transport links and increasing the participation of Slovak companies in reconstruction projects in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories.
A Slovak-Azerbaijani business forum will also be held in Baku, bringing together business representatives from both countries to promote trade, new partnerships and Slovak investment opportunities in Azerbaijan.
Energy Remains the Foundation
Energy continues to be one of the main pillars of bilateral relations. In December 2024, Slovakia became the twelfth country to begin importing Azerbaijani natural gas. Supplies from SOCAR to the state operator SPP started under a pilot agreement and formed part of Europe’s broader effort to diversify energy sources.
Azerbaijan also took part in the first EU-Slovakia working group on energy security, where both sides reaffirmed the strategic importance of Azerbaijani gas for Central Europe and expressed readiness to deepen cooperation in renewable energy.
Slovakia is also among the participants in the “Solidarity Ring” initiative aimed at increasing Azerbaijani gas supplies to Central Europe.
At the same time, energy cooperation has moved beyond natural gas. Slovakia, which has one of Europe’s cleanest energy systems thanks to its nuclear sector, has significant expertise in energy efficiency. Slovak heat pumps are already being supplied to Azerbaijan, while Slovak companies specializing in nuclear energy and energy-efficient technologies are exploring joint projects with Azerbaijani partners.
This cooperation has become particularly relevant following COP29 in Baku, where energy transition and decarbonization featured prominently on the international agenda.
Intensifying Political Dialogue
Pellegrini’s visit is part of a rapidly expanding political dialogue between the two countries.
In May 2026, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov visited Slovakia. The same month, Azerbaijan hosted a delegation led by Slovak National Council Speaker Richard Raši, resulting in the signing of a parliamentary cooperation memorandum.
Also in May, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba visited Azerbaijan. In June, State Secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Marek Eštok traveled to Baku, where another round of political consultations between the two foreign ministries was held.
The frequency of these contacts underscores the growing momentum of cooperation across multiple sectors.
New Opportunities for Business and Tourism
Transport links are also being strengthened.
Beginning September 29, 2026, Europe’s largest low-cost airline, Wizz Air, will launch direct scheduled flights between Bratislava and Baku, operating twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
The new route is expected to improve connectivity, facilitate business and tourism travel and provide an additional boost to economic cooperation.
From Political Declarations to Practical Projects
Azerbaijani-Slovak relations are increasingly moving from political declarations toward the implementation of concrete joint projects.
Nowhere is this more visible than in Karabakh, where cooperation has taken tangible form through the construction of a smart village, humanitarian demining operations, social infrastructure development and the involvement of Slovak companies in reconstruction efforts.
For that reason, President Pellegrini’s visit to Aghdam is expected to be more than a ceremonial stop. It is being viewed as confirmation that Karabakh has become an important element of the bilateral agenda and that the projects underway there have already evolved into a symbol of the growing strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Slovakia.
The visit is expected to give fresh momentum to that partnership and open new opportunities for expanding cooperation between the two countries.
