Nika Gilauri

Nika Gilauri ნიკოლოზ გილაური
Prime Minister of Georgia
In office 6 February 2009 – 4 July 2012
President	Mikheil Saakashvili
Preceded by	Grigol Mgaloblishvili
Succeeded by	Vano Merabishvili
First Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia
In office December 2008 – 6 February 2009
Prime Minister	Grigol Mgaloblishvili
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	David Tkeshelashvili
Minister of Finance
In office 7 September 2007 – 6 February 2009
Prime Minister	Zurab Noghaideli Lado Gurgenidze Grigol Mgaloblishvili
Preceded by	Mamuka Nikolaishvili
Succeeded by	Kakha Baindurashvili
Minister of Energy
In office 17 February 2004 – 7 September 2007
Prime Minister	Zurab Zhvania Zurab Noghaideli
Preceded by	David Mirtskhulava
Succeeded by	Alexander Khetaguri
Personal details
Born	(1975-02-14) 14 February 1975 Tbilisi, Soviet Union
Political party	Independent
Alma mater	Tbilisi State University University of Limerick Temple University

Nika Gilauri (Georgian: ნიკოლოზ [ნიკა] გილაური, pronounced [nikʼa ɡilauri]; born 14 February 1975) is a Georgian politician who was Prime Minister of Georgia from 6 February 2009 to 30 June 2012. He had served as Minister for Energy (2004–2007) and Minister for Finance (2007–2009) and First Vice Prime Minister in the Cabinet of Georgia (2008–2009).

Education and early career

Born in Tbilisi, Nika Gilauri graduated from Tbilisi State University, where he gained Bachelor of Arts in International Economics. He pursued education at the University of Limerick, in Limerick, Ireland where he studied Economics and Finances and gained an MA in International Business Management from Temple University, Philadelphia, USA. In 1999, Nika Gilauri worked for Dublin International Financial Centre as well as in the fund management corporation Invesco, as a fund administrator-manager. He was a financial consultant for energy conservation projects at the Philadelphia Small Business Development Centre (2000), the Georgian telecommunication company Telecom Georgia (2001), and the Georgian energy market management contractor, the Spanish corporation Iberdrola (2002). From 2003 to 2004 he worked for the Georgian state electricity system management contractor, ESBI (Ireland) as a management contractor and financial controller on the Georgian state electricity system.^[1]

In the government

Nika Gilauri first joined the government of Georgia after the peaceful 2003 "Rose Revolution" replaced President Eduard Shevardnadze in favor of a young reformist team led by Mikheil Saakashvili. In the Saakashvili administration, Nika Gilauri received the post of Minister for Energetics on 17 February 2004. After a series of blackouts in Georgia from December 2004 to February 2005, there were some speculations regarding Gilauri's possible dismissal. He spearheaded a program to overcome energy crisis.^[2] He played a prominent role in negotiating the provision of gas supply by Azerbaijan and Iran in January 2006, when gas and electric power supply to Georgia was suspended as a result of alleged sabotages in the Russian territory.^[3]

In March 2006, a controversy followed Nika Gilauri's statement that selling of Georgia's gas pipelines to the Russian state-run Gazprom was possible provided the price and terms of contract were acceptable. He later explained that talks on privatization were not underway and these proposals had never been discussed with Russian side.^[4] In December 2006, Gilauri was praised by President Saakashvili for his "historic" deals with Turkey and Azerbaijan on gas supplies to Georgia.^[5]

On 7 September 2007, Nika Gilauri was moved to the post of Minister of Finances, a post he retained in a cabinet reshuffle following the 2007 political crisis.^[6]

In December 2008, Gilauri also assumed the newly created office of the First Vice Prime Minister of Georgia, and succeeded Grigol Mgaloblishvili as Prime Minister of Georgia on 6 February 2009. Having won a confidence vote by the Parliament of Georgia, Gilauri named tackling unemployment as his foremost priority and promised to set up an inter-agency working group to coordinate further democratic reforms and pursue a "consistent policy towards de-occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia", two disputed regions considered by Georgia as Russian-occupied territories. He also said under his premiership Georgia would remain committed to its NATO integration policy.^[7] One of the very first political decisions that Gilauri made as Prime Minister was to dismiss Kakha Bendukidze, Head of the State Chancellery and a leading figure behind Georgia’s economic reforms of the 2000s.^[8] On 30 June 2012, President Saakashvili replaced him with Ivane Merabishvili, appointing Gilauri as the head of the JSC Partnership Fund, a state-owned stock fund.^[9]

Personal life

Marine Shamugia

Nika Gilauri married in January 2010 the former Georgian fashion model Marine Shamugia (b. 9 February 1985), a Sukhumi native and a member of the beauty contest Miss Georgia–2004.^[10] They have a daughter, Mari (born 17 July 2010).^[11]

References

External links

• Official biography of ex-Prime Minister Nika Gilauri. Government of Georgia
• Media related to Nika Gilauri at Wikimedia Commons