As part of the visit, Erjavec will co-chair a session of the Slovenia-Kazakhstan Commission for Economic Cooperation, with the other chair being Kazakhstan Health Minister Salidat Kairbekova.

The commission's first meeting in June 2011 was followed by the signing of a protocol in which both sides highlighted the opportunities for expanding bilateral economic cooperation.

Erjavec is also scheduled to make a stop at a sports hall of Nazarbayev University in Astana, which has been built by Slovenian company Duol.

The Slovenian and Kazakhstan business executives will have a chance to meet at business conferences in Astana and Almaty.

According to the Foreign Ministry, there are opportunities for boosting cooperation in pharmaceutical industry, health care, spa tourism, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources as well as in IT, engineering and the construction sector.

In 2011, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev hosted the then Slovenian President Danilo Türk. Since then officials of the two countries have held several meetings on the sidelines of international events.