Vakhtang Gomelauri appointed as new Internal Minister
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, January 27
Vakhtang Gomelauri, who took the post of the first deputy internal affairs minister and initially chaired former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili’s guard service, was appointed as the new minister of internal affairs on January 27.
Gharibashvili is sure that Gomelauri will make positives moves in the ministry and justify the hopes of the public and the government.
“He is an experienced man in the field. He came to the ministry in 2013 and served as the deputy Interior Minister,” Gharibashvili said.
“I have worked in the Security Police since 2002. I have quite a lot of experience in the police field,” Gomelauri stated.
Head of Parliament’s Defense and Security Council, majority MP Irakli Sesiashvili welcomed the appointment. He described Gomelauri as professional and one who will have to address multiple challenges in the ministry.
“He took the post during a very complicated period. The government has announced the reform of the ministry. As such, the minister should play a key role in the successful transformation of the ministry,” Sesiashvili said.
Meanwhile, the opposition United National Movement feels that Bidzina Ivanishvili has something to do with the situation.
“This is Ivanishvili’s attitude to our country. He appointed his secretary as a prime minister, his family doctor as a minister of health and the head of his guard service as an internal minister,” UNM MP Goka Gabashvili said.
Head of the Independent Analysts’ Club Soso Tsiskarishvili believes that Ivanishvili’s attitude remains decisive concerning the appointment of high-ranking officials.
“However, Gomelauri should be aware of his huge responsibilities before the country. First of all, he should try to remove the functions of security from the ministry. Only after we will be able to speak of him as a successful minister,” Tsiskarishvili said.
