Uzbekistan's Mirvokhid Azimov named new Secretary General of Organization of Turkic States

Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister Mirvokhid Azimov was appointed the new Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) at its 13th summit in Ankara. He will succeed Kubanychbek Omuraliyev of Kyrgyzstan, who has led the organisation since November 2022. Azimov is the first representative of Uzbekistan to hold the post.

Born in Tashkent in 1980, Azimov holds a law degree from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, specialising in international law, and a candidate of legal sciences degree. He has worked in Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry for more than 20 years, including as head of its treaty and legal department. He also spent four years at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretariat in Beijing.

Azimov served as OTS deputy secretary general from September 2020 for about six years. On 26 May 2026, he was appointed deputy foreign minister of Uzbekistan by presidential decree. The OTS Secretariat said it intends to draw on the new secretary general's experience to turn the goals of the Vision of the Turkic World 2040 document into concrete initiatives.