Organisation of Turkic States just got new head from Uzbekistan. Who is he?
Uzbek diplomat Mirvohid Azimov has been appointed secretary general of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), replacing Kyrgyzstan’s Kubanychbek Omuraliev, who has led the organisation since 2022.
The appointment was made at the organisation’s 13th summit in Ankara, Türkiye, on 30 October.
Azimov previously worked as the organization’s deputy secretary general before returning to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry earlier this year. He will now lead the secretariat tasked with coordinating cooperation among the five member countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.
The appointment comes as Türkiye takes over the OTS rotating chairmanship from Azerbaijan.
Who is the new Organisation of Turkic States head?
Azimov served as deputy secretary general of the OTS until May 2026, working on political, economic, transport and cultural cooperation between member states.
On May 26, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev appointed him Uzbekistan’s deputy foreign minister.
The OTS credited Azimov with helping strengthen its institutional capacity and develop joint initiatives during his previous tenure at the organisation.
His predecessor, Omuraliev, was appointed secretary general at the organisation’s ninth summit in Samarkand in November 2022. The former Kyrgyz ambassador to Türkiye completed a four-year term.
What is on the agenda at the Ankara summit?
The summit, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, brought together leaders and senior representatives of the organisation’s member and observer states.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev represented Uzbekistan, while Kazakhstan’s Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Kyrgyzstan’s Sadyr Japarov also attended. Azerbaijan was represented by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
Discussions focused on expanding trade and investment, improving transport connections, strengthening energy cooperation and advancing digital transformation.
The leaders also signed the Ankara Declaration, setting out priorities for further cooperation between Turkic states.
Established in 2009 as the Turkic Council, the organisation adopted its current name in 2021. Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus hold observer status.
