Monitoring Desk: Chairman of the National Security Service of Uzbekistan Colonel-General Rustam Inoyatov has been removed by the President of Uzbekistan.
The office of Chairman of the National Security Service (NSS) is also known as top office to control intelligence agencies in Uzbekistan.
73-year-old Rustam Inoyatov, was in charge of Uzbek special services for almost 23 years and was considered as one of the most trusted person of late President Karimov. It is pertinent to mention that bureaucratic circles in Tashkent were talking about this change since President Shavkat Mirziyayev completed his first year in power.
52-year Prosecutor General Ihtiyor Abdullayev has been given charge of NSS till the appointment of new head of NSS.
According to unofficial media, President Shavkat Mirziyayev announced dismissal of Rustam Inoyatov at a conference call on the night of January 31 with the participation of employees of the NSS.
Uzbek media also reported that Rustam Inoyatov submitted his resignation to the President of Uzbekistan on January 25 and President Shavkat Mirziyayev held four-hour long talks with Rustam Inoyatov before his (President Shavkat Mirziyayev) trip to Kashkadarya region.
Rustam Inoyatov was considered one of the few high-ranking Uzbek officials who were able to maintain posts after the death of the first President Islam Karimov.
