Former Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov informed on his Twitter account that he had decided to leave government service and retire.
“After 45 years of work in state institutions and foreign diplomatic missions, I have decided to retire. I am sincerely grateful to President [of Uzbekistan] Shavkat Mirziyoyev for supporting my decision,” he wrote.
Norov said he had set up a consultancy company called Silk Road Advisory and plans to use his contacts to promote Uzbekistan’s foreign policy, improve the country’s international image, and attract investment, innovative technologies, and digital advances to the Uzbek and Central Asian economies.
Vladimir Norov is 67 years old and was most recently appointed as the Director of the International Institute for Central Asia in January 2023.
Prior to that, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since April 2022. He has also held various other positions, including Deputy and First Deputy Minister, State Advisor to the President, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Germany, Switzerland, Poland, and Belgium, Head of Uzbekistan’s Mission to the EU and NATO, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President, and Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
