BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 21. Slovak companies
can contribute to post-conflict demining, followed by
reconstruction and infrastructure digitalization on Azerbaijan’s
liberated territories, Filip Šandor, Vice-Chairman of EXPORT
ANALYTICA, a Slovak analytical platform created by the Council of
Slovak Exporters, said in an interview with Trend.


“The post-conflict environment has created clear and tangible
opportunities for cooperation, and interest from Slovak companies
is already evident,” Šandor noted. “Reconstruction is not a new
field for Slovakia, as similar efforts are already under way in
Ukraine”.


In Azerbaijan, attention is focused in particular on logistics
and construction, as the region is expected to develop into an
important junction of international transport corridors. “Beyond
equipment, Slovak companies can contribute to post-conflict
demining, followed by reconstruction and infrastructure
digitalization, which are essential for developing new transport
corridors and energy links,” he added.


Slovak engagement has moved beyond political declarations to
practical cooperation through a pilot “smart village” project in
Karabakh. “This initial involvement is seen as the starting point
of longer-term cooperation, especially as Azerbaijan plans to
develop more such smart villages in the coming years,” Šandor
said.


From the perspective of export diversification, Azerbaijan
represents a highly attractive and dynamic partner market for
Slovak exporters. “The country has demonstrated remarkable
macroeconomic performance, with GDP growth exceeding 4% in 2024. At
the same time, Slovakia is seeking to diversify its export
destinations, which are currently heavily EU-oriented, around 85%.
Mutual trade between the two countries nevertheless remains very
low, pointing to significant untapped potential,” he explained.


Currently, the automotive sector accounts for roughly 85% of
Slovak exports to Azerbaijan, but Šandor highlighted opportunities
in other segments, particularly energy-related equipment.
“Central-heating boilers and meters for gas, liquids, and
electricity represent significant potential for export growth,” he
said.


Šandor emphasized the potential for energy and defence
cooperation. “In energy, rising demand and infrastructure
modernisation in Azerbaijan create opportunities for Slovak
companies in the field of renewable energy technologies, and also
in upgrading energy facilities and supplying complete technological
solutions for energy and industrial projects”.







On defence cooperation, he said, “Azerbaijan and Slovakia agreed
last year to establish joint ventures in the defence industry,
including plans to relocate part of the production directly to
Azerbaijan and act as partners jointly seeking to market these
products abroad. Currently, Slovak defence exports are growing
exponentially, making such cooperation strategically and
economically beneficial for both sides”. Cooperation is also
developing between armed forces in the areas of military education,
training, and exercises.


Beyond defence, cooperation is expanding in ICT and other high
value-added sectors, including smart city solutions, security and
air-traffic management systems, industrial equipment, logistics,
automation, and smart manufacturing. Šandor also noted
opportunities in water management, medical and pharmaceutical
technologies, food processing and agribusiness, transport,
education, and tourism, offering broad scope for export
diversification and sustainable long-term cooperation.


From a geoeconomic and security perspective, Šandor highlighted
Azerbaijan’s role in diversifying natural gas supplies and transit
routes. “For Azerbaijan, oil accounted for roughly 99% of its total
exports to Slovakia in 2024,” he said. “As highlighted by the
Slovak Prime Minister, this role has become even more important in
the context of RePowerEU, which aims to end imports of Russian gas
to the EU by 2027. Although Slovakia, together with Hungary, has
expressed reservations about this approach, the policy would
ultimately apply to all EU member states. Azerbaijani gas therefore
represents one of the realistic alternatives for meeting heavy
natural gas demand in whole Central Europe, as all V4 countries
rely on natural gas, which accounts for about 15–30% of total
supply and 15–27% of final consumption”.


Šandor also underlined opportunities in green energy.
“Azerbaijan plans to significantly increase the share of
alternative and renewable energy sources in its primary energy
consumption across all sectors, in line with its socio-economic
development priorities up to 2030. The country is actively
expanding its renewable energy capacity, opening space for
cooperation in green energy technologies and energy efficiency
solutions. Given this, Slovakia has strong and growing capabilities
in heat pump production. This positions Slovak companies well to
supply equipment and know-how for heating decarbonization,
alongside technologies for energy efficiency,” he said.


He noted that central-heating boilers and meters for gas,
liquids, and electricity, which together account for approximately
7% of Slovakia’s exports to Azerbaijan, are directly linked to
modernization and digitalization of energy networks. “At the same
time, Azerbaijan’s state-led modernization of electricity grids,
heating networks, and its investment in renewable energy solar and
hydropower projects create further opportunities for Slovak
companies,” Šandor added.


Although Slovakia has long declared its intention to strengthen
relations with the South Caucasus, particularly in the economic
sphere, mutual trade has remained limited, with the region
accounting on average for only about 0.01% of total Slovak imports
over the past 30 years. “However, in recent years, relations with
Azerbaijan can be described as the most intensive in our history,”
Šandor concluded.