Archil M. Gegeshidze (born 1956 in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

) is a Georgian diplomat and scholar. He is currently the Executive Director of the Levan Mikeladze Foundation. He was Georgia's ambassador to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from 2013 to 2016.

Academic career

Gegeshidze studied social geography at

Tbilisi State University Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University ( ka, ივანე ჯავახიშვილის სახელობის თბილისის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი ''Ivane Javaxishvi ...

, receiving his PhD (Candidate of Science) in Economic and Social Geography in 1985. In 1994 Gegeshidze became a post-graduate student in the Department for Social and Economic Geography of the Tbilisi State University. He took part in international seminars such as 'Japan, Europe and North America: Toward a G-3 World?' at the

Salzburg Global Seminar Salzburg Global Seminar is a non-profit organization that challenges current and future leaders to shape a better world. It convenes programs on health care, education, culture, finance, technology, public policy, media, human rights, corporate g ...

and 'Decision Making in U.S. Foreign Policy' at the

United States Information Agency The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill C ...

International Visitor Program. He was a Visiting Fulbright Scholar at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in the U.S. in 2000-2001. Later, he received the Fulbright Alumni Initiative Award and in 2005-2006 the International Policy Fellowship. From 2001 until 2013 he worked as a Senior Fellow at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, a Tbilisi-based think-tank. He fluently speaks English, Russian and French.

National security and diplomatic career

From 1993 to 1994, Gegeshidze was deputy head of the First European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. From 1994 to 1995, he was State Advisor to the Staff of Georgian President

Eduard Shevardnadze Eduard Ambrosis dze Shevardnadze ( ka, ედუარდ ამბროსის ძე შევარდნაძე}, romanized: ; 25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Soviet and Georgian politician and diplomat who governed Georgia for ...

. From 1996 to 1997, he was Assistant to the President on national security affairs. From 1997 to 2000, he was head of the section for foreign policy analysis at the State Chancellery of the President of Georgia and worked as Chief Foreign Policy Advisor. In 1999 he was awarded with the diplomatic rank of an extraordinary and plenipotentiary Ambassador. In March 2013, Gegeshidze was appointed Georgia's ambassador to the United States, and served from April 15, 2013 until October 9, 2016. Georgia’s new ambassador to the US
dfwatch, March 20, 2013.

Selected publications

* Security of the Caucasus and the Black Sea Area: Problems and Opportunities. Proceedings of the Conference on "Future Conventional Arms Control Requirements in Europe", Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Ebenhausen, 1994. * The South Caucasus: Getting Close to Europe? Marco Polo Magazine, Venice, 1999, No.1. * The New Silk Road: A Georgian Perspective Perceptions, Vol. V, No. 2, Jun-Aug, 2000. * Georgia's Transit Capacity National Assessment Report on Sustainable Development, UN Summit, Johannesburg, 2002. * The Need for a New Regional Agenda in the Black Sea Area, Insight Turkey, Vol.4, No.3, 2002. * A Strategic Vision for Georgia, The Washington Times, September 13, 2003. * Georgia's Regional Vulnerabilities and the Ajaria Crisis Insight Turkey, Vol.6, No.2, 2004.
Gegeshidze at IISS
Russia gains a foothold in the South Caucasus. With new military bases, Moscow has secured its influence in the region

Interpressnews, 22.2.2013.

References

External links

with biography of Archil Gegeshidze
Archil M. Gegeshidze
as senior fellow at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS).

in yandex (in Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gegeshidze, Archil 1956 births Living people Diplomats from Tbilisi Political scientists from Georgia (country) Ambassadors of Georgia (country) to the United States Tbilisi State University alumni