Uzbekistan Deputy Foreign Minister Mirvokhid Azimov to become OTS Secretary General

According to the OTS Secretariat, cited by Kun.uz, the decision on the appointment was made by the Council of Heads of State, but it must still be confirmed by a decision of the summit.

Azimov will succeed diplomat from Kyrgyzstan Kubanychbek Omuraliev, who has headed the secretariat since November 2022. According to Gazeta.uz, a representative of Uzbekistan is receiving the post of OTS Secretary General for the first time.

Azimov was born in Tashkent in 1980. He worked as Deputy Secretary General of the OTS from October 2020, and in May 2026 became Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. He graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in international law from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy and holds a Candidate of Legal Sciences degree. He has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs system for more than 20 years, four of which he spent at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Secretariat in Beijing; he also headed the ministry's Treaty and Legal Department.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev thanked the OTS countries for supporting the Uzbek candidate and expressed confidence that under the new Secretary General, the organization will continue to accomplish its set tasks and develop cooperation among member states. He also commended Omuraliev's work and declared that Uzbekistan is ready to host the next OTS summit in 2027.