PM Says Consultations Still Ongoing on Next Defense Minister

PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili has denied media speculation about MP Irakli Sesiashvili and prison system minister Kakha Kakhishvili being considered among possible candidates for defense minister’s position to replace Tina Khidasheli.

It was announced last week that two cabinet members from the Republican Party – Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli and State Minister for Reconciliation Paata Zakareishvili would resign.

MP from ruling GDDG party, Irakli Sesiashvili, who chairs parliamentary committee for defense and security, and prison system minister Kakha Kakhishvili were rumored in the Georgian media to be among potential candidates to replace Khidasheli. 

“I do not confirm these reports,” PM Kvirikashvili told journalists on July 20.

“Consultations are underway, but not with these two. Sesiashvili is very valuable where he is now; he will probably be a majoritarian MP candidate [in one of the single-mandate constituencies]. Kakha Kakhishvili is a very good prison system minister and his experience is valuable where he is now,” the PM said, but declined to name potential candidates he is considering for the defense minister’s position.

Announcing about the decision of the Republican cabinet members to resign, one of the leaders of the party, parliament speaker Davit Usupashvili said on July 12 that although parties in the GD ruling coalition decided to part ways and run separately in the October 8 parliamentary elections, the Republican Party was ready to remain in the coalition government with the ruling GDDG party before the end of elections. But, according to Usupashvili, GDDG decided otherwise and told the Republican Party cabinet members to either quit the Republican Party and remain in the government or resign from cabinet posts. Unlike Khidasheli and Zakareishvili, the third Republican cabinet member, Minister of Environment Gigla Agulashvili, opted in favor of staying in the cabinet and quit the Republican Party.

Outgoing Defense Minister Khidasheli is expected to step down after his visit to the United States.

In Washington, where a meeting of working group on defense and security in frames of U.S.-Georgian strategic partnership was held on July 20, Khidasheli met officials from the Pentagon and the Department of State.

She said that terms of a memorandum, signed between the U.S. and Georgia on July 6 during Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Tbilisi, were “discussed in details.”

According to the memorandum on “deepening the defense and security partnership”, the U.S. pledges to support Georgia in its self-defense capabilities, including in areas ranging from defense acquisitions to enhanced information sharing.

“The Readiness Program of Georgian Armed Forces – that’s the name of the program, will be a turning point and the beginning of a fundamentally new era for the Georgian armed forces,” Khidasheli said, adding that the program would be fully elaborated before the end of this year and its implementation would start from the beginning of next year.