At the end of December 2021, the former Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Vladimir Norov was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

On June 10, 2018, at the SCO summit, Vladimir Norov was approved for the post of SCO Secretary-General for the period from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021.

Previously, he worked as director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan. In addition, he headed the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan from 2006 to 2010.

Earlier it was reported that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov had been dismissed from his post due to the transfer to another job. He is appointed Deputy Secretary of the Security Council under the President of Uzbekistan for Foreign Policy and Security.