Georgia Names New Foreign Minister

Gela Bezhuashvili was tapped October 20 to serve as Georgia's foreign minister amid growing controversy surrounding the dismissal of his predecessor, Salome Zourabichvili.

Bezhuashvili had been serving as secretary of Georgia's National Security Council. Earlier, he served as defense minister in President Mikheil Saakashvili's government. He also occupied a top defense post during the administration of former president Eduard Shevardnadze.

Bezhuashvili's appointment capped a raucous 24 hours in a country with a lengthy history of political turmoil. The political storm erupted October 19 when parliament called for Zourabichvili's resignation, touching off a flurry of discussions involving Saakashvili and Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. At first, the president appeared inclined to retain Zourabichvili, but with the crisis still unresolved, the then-foreign minister made several provocative statements during a television interview.

Zourabichvili, speaking live on Rustavi-2 television late on October 19, suggested that she was being smeared by some MPs because her "attempts to dismantle corrupt structures at [Georgian] embassies stand in the way of many people and many businesses." She went on to describe the parliamentary resolution calling for her resignation as a "revolt ... not directed just against me, but against the president." Several times she referred to her parliamentary opponents as "devils."

"This is the last gasp of the old system, the communist cancer, I'll call it, this monster," Zourabichvili continued. "These people are not representing themselves; they are representing the last attempt to save the [Communist] system." Zourabichvili concluded the interview with a call for snap parliamentary elections in order to smash the "clan system," and a call for a public demonstration. An estimated 4,000 Georgians responded to Zourabichvili's call, gathering at Tbilisi's Hippodrome on October 20 for a brief political protest.

Minutes after Zourabichvili's controversial television interview, Nogaideli announced her dismissal, characterizing some of her statements as "very strange." Representatives of the opposition New Rights party accused the Saakashvili administration of intending to abandon Georgia's pro-Western foreign policy course. Davit Gamkrelidze, a New Rights leader, claimed that Zourabichvili was a "victim, sacrificed by President Saakashvili to the Kremlin," the Civil Georgia web site reported.

Presidential aides quickly refuted Gamkrelidze's accusation, insisting that Bezhuashvili, the new foreign minister, would not alter existing policies. Presidential spokesman Giorgi Arveladze said that Georgia is "strongly determined" to pursue integration into Western political, economic and security structures. "If someone thinks that the country's foreign policy depends on individual ministers, they have no idea about the way the country's government works," Civil Georgia quoted Arveladze as saying.

Zourabichvili - who is from a French emigre family - served in a number of French diplomat posts, entering the Georgian government at Saakashvili's request to handle the foreign minister's portfolio. During her October 19 television interview she said she intended to remain in Georgia and "become a fully fledged political figure." At the October 20 political rally in Tbilisi, Zourabichvili indicated that she was keeping her political options open. "I'm not going anywhere. I will decide later what to do," she said. At least one opposition party, the Republicans, is reportedly courting her.

Several Georgian political analysts and politicians suggested that Zourabichvili's departure could weaken the country's diplomatic capabilities, and possibly damage Tbilisi's relations with the European Union. Other experts described Zourabichvili as a superior negotiator, who, at the same time, had serious shortcomings as an administrator.

In an interview with EurasiaNet, political observer Paata Zakareishvili said Bezhuashvili's appointment as foreign minister means that Georgia will become "even more pro-American than previously," and thus "will say 'no' to the EU." In discussing likely reasons for her dismissal, Zakareishvili cited Zourabichvili's "definite independence from the president." He also claimed that both US and Russian diplomats did not like dealing with Zourabichvili. "Neither Russia nor the United States favored her [Zourabichvili]; the new minister [Bezhuashvili] is a more logical choice [for authorities]: he will do whatever Saakashvili and US advisors say," Zakareishvili said.

David Berdzenishvili, a Republican Party leader, voiced dissatisfaction with the selection of Bezhuashvili as the new foreign minister. "Bezhuashvili is one of those governmental officials who restarted their activities after years of service under Shevardnadze, and hence it is hard to imagine that he brings any progress," the Republican Party leader said. Another expert who is generally supportive of the Saakashvili administration, and who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was not enthused about Bezhuashvili's selection. But he added that there was a shortage of qualified candidates who were immediately available.