Oktam Khamdamov appointed deputy minister of emergency situations of Uzbekistan

New deputy minister for cybersecurity

By his decree, the President of Uzbekistan appointed Oktam Khamdamov Rustamovich deputy minister of emergency situations for digitalization and cybersecurity. The ministry itself announced this, and the information was confirmed by the outlets Gazeta.uz and Kun.uz.

What Khamdamov did before the appointment

Before moving to the ministry, Oktam Khamdamov held the position of head of a department at the state institution 'Cybersecurity Center'. This was reported by Gazeta.uz, citing appointment data.

Other personnel changes at the agency

This is not the only personnel change at the ministry in recent days. It was previously reported that Bakhtiyor Rakhmonkulov was appointed head of the small-craft inspection under the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The outlets differ on the details of his previous position: Gazeta.uz did not indicate his previous place of work, while Kun.uz wrote that before this Rakhmonkulov was khokim (head) of the Yashnabad district of Tashkent.

What this means

The appearance in the ministry's leadership of a separate deputy responsible for digitalization and cybersecurity indicates that this area is a priority for the agency, although the sources do not disclose specific plans for the new position. The appointments affect the work of two structural areas of the Ministry of Emergency Situations — the digital unit and the small-craft inspection. It is not yet known who replaced Khamdamov as head of the department at the Cybersecurity Center, or the exact dates on which the appointments take effect.