New Deputy Foreign Ministers appointed
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Tuesday, November 18
New Deputy Foreign Ministers were appointed by Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Gharibashvili on November 17. He named Davit Dondua, Gigi Gigiadze and Khatuna Totladze to the posts.
Davit Dondua took the post of first deputy foreign minister. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has vast experience working in this field.
Dondua was First Deputy State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration in 2012 - 2014. He was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of Georgia to the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico from 1998 - 2008. Dondua also was a representative of Georgia to NATO in 2000 – 2005.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gigiadze has been working on diplomatic issues in the ministry since 2000. He was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Federal Republic of Germany in 2012 - 2014. He was Counselor at the Embassy of Georgia to the Hellenic Republic of Greece and to the Republic of Croatia in 2006 – 2007. Gigiadze was Head of the First European Division of the European Affairs Department in 2008 – 2009.
When it comes to Totladze, according to the ministry, she has worked in the foreign ministry since 2002. She is a niece of a late businessmen Badri Patarkatsishvili.
The positions became open after former Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze and her deputy left.
Later Tamar Beruchashvili was named as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs on November 11. Before being appointed to the position, Beruchashili quit her post of First Deputy Foreign Minister together with Panjikidze. However, later she stated that Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic orientation was not at risk and refused to resign.
