Ankara (TDI): Leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) have appointed Uzbek diplomat, Mirvokhid Azimov, as the organization’s new Secretary General, making him the first Uzbek national to hold the post.
The Council of Heads of State made the decision on October 30 at the 13th OTS Summit, hosted by Türkiye in Ankara, where member-state leaders signed the formal appointment decision at the gathering.
Azimov succeeds Kyrgyz diplomat, Kubanychbek Omuraliev, who had led the organization since November 2022. He becomes the OTS’s fifth Secretary General, and his four predecessors came from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, so the appointment means every member state has now had the honor of heading the secretariat via the top most office.
Azimov is a familiar figure within the organization as he served as Deputy Secretary General from 2020 until May 2026, when Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev named him Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), meeting at the 13th OTS Summit hosted by the Republic of Türkiye in Ankara, appointed H.E. Mirvokhid Azimov of the Republic of Uzbekistan as the new Secretary General of the Organization.
🇦🇿Türk Dövlətləri Təşkilatının (TDT) Dövlət Başçıları Şurası Türkiyə Respublikasının ev sahibliyi ilə Ankarada keçirilən TDT-nin 13-cü Zirvə Görüşündə Özbəkistan Respublikasının nümayəndəsi Mirvokhid Azimovu Təşkilatın yeni Baş katibi vəzifəsinə təyin edib.
🇰🇿Түркі мемлекеттері ұйымы (ТМҰ) Мемлекет басшылары кеңесі Анкара қаласында өткен 13-ші саммитте Өзбекстан Республикасының өкілі Мирвохид Азимовты Ұйымның жаңа Бас хатшысы болып тағайындады.
🇰🇬Түркия Республикасынын уюштуруусунда Анкара шаарында өткөн Түрк мамлекеттер уюмунун (ТМУ) 13-саммитинин алкагында мамлекет башчыларынын кеңеши Өзбекстан Республикасынын өкүлү Мирвохид Азимовду Уюмдун жаңы Башкы катчысы катары дайындоо жөнүндө чечим кабыл алды.
🇹🇷 Türk Devletleri Teşkilatı (TDT) Devlet Başkanları Konseyi, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin ev sahipliğinde Ankara’da düzenlenen TDT 13. Zirvesi’nde, Özbekistan Cumhuriyeti’nden Sayın Mirvokhid Azimov’u Teşkilatın yeni Genel Sekreteri olarak atadı.
🇺🇿Turkiya Respublikasi mezbonligida Anqara şahrida ötgan Turkiy davlatlar taşkilotining (TDT) 13-sammitida yiğilgan TDT Davlat rahbarlari kengaşi sammit qarorini tasdiqlagan holda, Özbekiston Respublikasidan Mirvohid Azimovni taşkilotning yangi Boş kotibi etib tayinladi.
— Organization of Turkic States (@Turkic_States) October 30, 2026
Earlier in his career, he headed the treaty and legal department of Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry and spent four years at the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Beijing.
In his new role, Azimov will lead the Istanbul-based secretariat, which coordinates the organization’s activities and supports the implementation of decisions taken by member governments.
The OTS was founded in 2009 as the Turkic Council by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye. Uzbekistan joined in 2019. Since then, the group has broadened its agenda well beyond cultural ties to cover trade, transport links and political coordination.
The Ankara summit also marked a handover of leadership at the top of the bloc. Türkiye took over the rotating chairmanship from Azerbaijan. Member states agreed that the next summit will be held in Uzbekistan in 2027, giving Tashkent a second prominent role in the organization’s work within a year.
