Uzbekistan’s ex-FM named Shanghai economy bloc chief

By Bahtiyar Abdukerimov

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AA) - Uzbekistan's former foreign minister has been appointed secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO), the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the ministry said Vladimir Norov, who previously served as director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the Uzbekistan's presidency, will be the secretary general from Jan. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2021.

Norov replaced Rashid Alimov, representative of Tajikistan.

He worked as the Uzbekistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2006 and 2010 and represented his country as ambassador in various countries before that.

The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and security organization established in 2001, originally including Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.