Gela Bezhuashvili

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Gela Bezhuashvili

Gela Bezhuashvili (Georgian: გელა ბეჟუაშვილი) (b. March 1, 1967) is a Georgian politician and the nation’s current Foreign Minister.

[edit] Education

He was born in the townlet of Manglisi, Georgia, in 1967. In 1991, he graduated from the Ukrainian Institute of International Relations and International Law, Kiev State University, Faculty of International Law. In 1997 obtained Master of Law degree, LL.M-International and Comparative Law, Southern Methodist University (SMU) School of Law, Dallas, U.S.A. In 2003 he entered the JFK School of Government, Harvard University as a mid-career student and is a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree candidate.

[edit] Career

His public service career began in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, where he in 1991-1993 occupied different positions at International Legal department. Since 1993 till 1996 he served as the Envoy Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of Georgia in Kazakhstan. After his return from Kazakhstan in 1997-2000 he worked as a Director of International Legal Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

Bezhuashvili served as a Deputy Defense Minister of Georgia from 2000 through 2004; In February 2004 he was appointed as the Defense Minister of Georgia (first civilian Defense Minister). In June 2004 he was appointed as the National Security Advisor to the President of Georgia – Secretary of the National Security Council. On October 19, 2005 Mr. Bezhuashvili was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia after a scandalous dismissal of Ms Salome Zourabichvili.

In 1998-2000 he was also actively involved in cooperation with European structures and participated as a national expert in the following comities: Committee of National Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI), Council of Europe; Multidisciplinary Group against Corruption (GMC), Council of Europe; Ad hoc committee on Protection of National Minorities, (DH-MIN), Council of Europe; Venice Commission (Constitutional Law), Council of Europe.

In 1997-1999 he chaired a group of national experts on the accession of Georgia to the Council of Europe. In 1999 was Chief negotiator from Georgia at the senior officials meetings of BSEC in Istanbul, Thessalonica and Chişinău.

Bezhuashvili chaired the group of experts drafted Georgian Law on International Treaties (Law was adopted in November 1997), Georgian Law on Diplomatic Service (Law was adopted in September 1999), and Georgian Organic Law on national Security Council (Law was adopted in November 2004).

Since 2000, along with his official duties, he was involved in scientific research on International Law issues. He is author of the book "International legal aspects of Georgian Foreign Policy," 2003 and a number of articles.

He holds the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and the civil service rank of State Chancellor.

In 2004, he was selected as the man of the Year by American Biographical Institute, U.S.

He speaks Georgian, English, Russian and Spanish.

Bezhuashvili is married and has two sons.