Giorgi Kvirikashvili

Giorgi Kvirikashvili (Georgian: გიორგი კვირიკაშვილი; born 20 July 1967) is a Georgian politician who was Prime Minister of Georgia from 30 December 2015 to 13 June 2018. Prior to that he was Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development from 25 October 2012 until 1 September 2015, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1 September 2015 until 30 December 2015, and Deputy Prime Minister from 26 July 2013 until 30 December 2015. Kvirikashvili has led initiatives to advance Euro-Atlantic and European integration and highlight Georgia as an attractive location for foreign investment.[1] On 20 June 2018, Mamuka Bakhtadze, who previously served as Kvirikashvili's Minister of Finance,[2] was approved by the Georgian Parliament to succeed Kvirikashvili in a 99-6 vote.[3]

Giorgi Kvirikashvili გიორგი კვირიკაშვილი
12th Prime Minister of Georgia
In office 30 December 2015 – 13 June 2018
President	Giorgi Margvelashvili
Preceded by	Irakli Garibashvili
Succeeded by	Mamuka Bakhtadze
Chairman of Georgian Dream
In office 30 December 2015 – 26 April 2018
Preceded by	Irakli Gharibashvili
Succeeded by	Bidzina Ivanishvili
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 1 September 2015 – 30 December 2015
Prime Minister	Irakli Garibashvili
Preceded by	Tamar Beruchashvili
Succeeded by	Mikheil Janelidze
First Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia
In office 26 July 2013 – 30 December 2015
Prime Minister	Bidzina Ivanishvili Irakli Gharibashvili
Preceded by	Giorgi Margvelashvili
Succeeded by	Kakha Kaladze
Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development
In office 25 October 2012 – 1 September 2015
Prime Minister	Bidzina Ivanishvili Irakli Garibashvili
Preceded by	Vera Kobalia
Succeeded by	Dimitri Kumsishvili
Member of the Parliament of Georgia
In office 20 November 1999 – 22 April 2004
Personal details
Born	20 July 1967 Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR (now Georgia)
Political party	Georgian Dream (2012-June 2018) New Rights Party (2000-2004) Union of Citizens of Georgia (1999-2000)
Alma mater	Tbilisi State Medical University Tbilisi State University University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Signature

Education

Born in Tbilisi, Kvirikashvili went through the compulsory military service in the Soviet army from 1986 to 1988. He graduated from the Tbilisi State Medical University with a degree in Internal Medicine in 1991 and then from the Tbilisi State University with a degree in Economics in 1995. In 1998, he obtained a master's degree in finances from the University of Illinois.[4]

Career

Kvirikashvili meeting with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev

Kvirikashvili worked as an executive for various banks in Georgia from 1993 to 1999 and as a deputy head of fiscal and monetary office at the State Chancellery of the President of Georgia in 1999. From 1999 to 2004, he was member of the Parliament of Georgia on the ticket of Union of Citizens of Georgia party.[5] After the Rose Revolution swept Mikheil Saakashvili to the presidency of Georgia, Kvirikashvili returned to his businesses. From 2006 to 2011, he was Director General of Cartu Bank, owned by the multi-billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili. With Ivanishvili's coming in politics and the victory of his Georgian Dream coalition over Saakashvili's United National Movement in the October 2012 parliamentary election, Kvirikashvili was appointed Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia in the cabinet of Bidzina Ivanishvili in October 2012. He additionally assumed the office of Vice Prime Minister in July 2013. He retained both these positions in the succeeding cabinet of Irakli Garibashvili, Ivanishvili's choice as his successor, in November 2013.[4][6]

In December 2015, Kviriashvili was nominated by the Georgian Dream coalition as new Prime Minister after Irakli Garibashvili announced his resignation. Kvirikashvili and his incoming cabinet won the confidence vote in the Parliament with 86 votes to 28 on December 30, 2015.[7] Kvirikashvili's government was focused on growing the economy and promoting entrepreneurship.[8] One of the major reforms under his premiership was the so-called Estonian Tax model, which taxes a company's pay-out dividends but not its profits, in 2018.[9] Kvirikashvili has said that he would like to make Georgian–American relations "a backbone of regional stability, economic development, and democratization."[10]

Links

• Official Youtube Channel

References

1. "University alumnus elected Georgian Prime Minister". Daily Illini. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
2. PM nominates Mamuka Bakhtadze as the Minister of Finance
3. https://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2018/06/20/georgia-approves-former-finance-minister-bakhtadze-as-new-premier
4. George Kvirikashvili Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine. Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
5. Ivanishvili's Incoming Cabinet Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Civil Georgia. October 16, 2012.
6. New PM Wins Confidence Vote Archived 2015-03-21 at the Wayback Machine. Civil Georgia. November 20, 2013.
7. "Kvirikashvili Confirmed as New Prime Minister". Civil Georgia. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
8. Sen, Ashish. "Keeping Georgia's NATO Dream Alive". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
9. "Parliament approves new Tax Code Georgia welcomes Estonian Taxation Model". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
10. "Keeping Georgia's NATO Dream Alive". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2016-03-02.