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EURASIA INSIGHT

GEORGIA’S CABINET RESHUFFLE: GETTING HAWKISH ABOUT ECONOMIC REFORM?
Molly Corso 11/14/06

The recent Georgian cabinet reshuffle has left politicians and analysts wondering why Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili -- a close confidante of President Mikheil Saakashvili, and arguably one of the government’s most powerful members -- was reassigned to the Ministry of Economic Development. While many hold that the move is a reflection of growing dissatisfaction with the hawkish minister and his rhetoric, other observers see the reshuffle as an attempt to energize Georgia’s economic reforms.

In a surprise move November 10, Saakashvili replaced Okruashvili, who has held the post of defense minister for almost two years, in favor of another long-time ally, David Kezerashvili, the 28-year-old head of Georgia’s Financial Police.

"Today our real frontline of defense lies in the economy... So after consultations we sent Okruashvili to this line, to make the ministry stronger," Saakashvili said during a late night press conference. Georgia currently faces a potentially crippling Russian embargo on its agricultural products, wines and mineral waters, as well as a blockade by Moscow on all transportation and postal communication between the two neighbors. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

While the president has publicly praised Okruashvili for his accomplishments, analysts and opposition politicians claim the reappointment was merely a way to save face for a long-time Saakashvili ally. Opposition MPs pointed out that the defense minister’s fate was sealed a year ago when he boldly announced he would celebrate New Year’s in Tskhinvali, capital of the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia, in 2007.

"This [statement] was a huge headache for Saakashvili," commented New Rights Party parliamentarian Manana Nachkebia. "Saakashvili tried to appease the United States and European Union… He had to remove Okruashvili from his post."

Okruashvili has made no secret that he is not happy with his new assignment. "My heart and soul are still with the army," he said during a November 11 press conference.

The shuffle also affected several other members of the government. Irakli Chogovadze, previously the minister of economic development, is now the head of the state-run International Gas Corporation, which oversees the country’s gas pipelines. Former Minister of Agriculture Mikheil Svimonishvili was demoted to serve as governor of the western region of Guria. He was replaced in his ministerial post by Petre Tsiskarishvili, governor of the wine region of Kakheti in eastern Georgia.

According to analysts, Okruashvili, infamous for his blunt, anti-Russian rhetoric, became a liability as Georgia strives to fight Russian attempts to portray Tbilisi as the aggressor in the bilateral row. "In Russia and the United Nations, Okruashvili was identified with war," said Tina Gogueliani, a political analyst with the Tbilisi-based International Center on Conflict and Negotiation. Gogueliani believes the move was meant as a signal that Tbilisi is dedicated to the peaceful resolution of its conflicts with the separatist governments of South Ossetia and the breakaway Black Sea region of Abkhazia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The timing of the announcement – less than two days prior to the November 12 independence referendum and presidential elections in South Ossetia – suggests deliberate calculation, she said. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

"This was a gesture from Saakashvili [to Russia] that we are for a peaceful solution [to the conflict] and we don’t want to give you [Russia] a reason to add tension to the conflict zone," she said. She added that Okruashvili’s reassignment also coincides with the next Commonwealth of Independent States summit meeting, planned for November 28 in Minsk.

In Tskhinvali, however, a government spokesperson told reporters that Okruashvili’s removal as defense minister will change little in the breakaway region’s relations with Tbilisi. "The militarization of Georgia will go full steam ahead. It won’t stop for a second," commented Irina Gagloyeva, alluding to the construction of a new Georgian military base outside of Gori, some 26 kilometers from Tskhinvali. Abkhaz leaders have voiced similar sentiments.

The Georgian government has been quick to stress that the Defense Ministry’s main mission remains unchanged: the return of the contested territories. In a November 12 interview with the Georgian television station Rustavi-2, new Defense Minister Kezerashvili echoed that position. "The major goal for Georgia remains the restoration of its territorial integrity and nothing has changed," he said. "Our ill-wishers should not have any hope or illusion that something will change here in this regard."

The Ministry of Defense denied requests for comment.

Over the past three years, Saakashvili has repeatedly moved this 33-year-old ally from post to post to enforce reforms. Okruashvili, by profession a lawyer, implemented the initial stages of Saakashvili’s anti-corruption crackdown as prosecutor general, before overhauling Georgia’s police forces as minister of the interior. During his tenure as defense minister, which began in late 2004, he led an aggressive campaign to modernize and build up the Georgian army to meet North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standards. Much touted domestically, the campaign, which resulted in NATO agreeing to start a so-called Intensified Dialogue with Georgia, has been met with mixed reviews by international commentators, and accusations from Russia and the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia that Georgia is a potential force for instability in the South Caucasus.

"Okruashvili managed to create a modern-day army starting from nothing and now the country needs his energy in the economic sector," Giga Bokeria, an influential parliamentarian with the ruling party, was quoted as saying in the English-language newspaper The Messenger on November 12. Even as defense minister, Okruashvili led one economic campaign, when President Saakashvili appointed him earlier this year to head up efforts to market Georgian wine in foreign markets other than Russia. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Okruashvili’s can-do image could explain the reassignment to the Economic Development Ministry, some analysts believe. Giorgi Ivaniashvili, chairman of the International Centre for Social Research and Policy Analysis in Tbilisi, said; "What we need now is to develop economic policy in Georgia in order … to stand on our feet and in this regard a strong person in this position would play a great role."

Editor’s Note: Molly Corso is a freelance reporter and photojournalist based in Tbilisi. Elizabeth Owen also contributed reporting for this story.

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