The Georgian Intelligence Service (GIS) ( ka, საქართველოს დაზვერვის სამსახური, ''sakartvelos dazvervis samsakhuri'') is a national
intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, Intelligence analysis, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objective ...
of
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 ...
, with its headquarters 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 ...
. The current head of the service is Shalva Lomidze, appointed in 2020.
The GIS is directly subordinated to the
Prime Minister of Georgia
The prime minister of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პრემიერ-მინისტრი, tr) is the head of government and chief executive of Georgia.
In Georgia, the president is a ceremonial head of state and mai ...
. It is responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment and conducting counter-intelligence duties abroad.
[Our mission](_blank)
Georgian Intelligence Service. Retrieved on April 24, 2011
History
After the declaration of independence from the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in 1991, Georgia established its own intelligence agency, the Service for Information and Intelligence (საინფორმაციო–სადაზვერვო სამსახური), on the basis of the
Soviet-era
The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...
Committee for State Security. The Georgian KGB was notable in that it was considered to be the one of the most effective of the KGB's regional Soviet branches, under the command of
Aleksi Inauri
Aleksi Inauri ( ka, ალექსი ინაური; russian: Алексей Николаевич Инаури, ''Aleksey Nikolayevich Inauri'') (May 12, 1908 – June 23, 1993) was a Soviet and Georgian commander who headed the Georgian KGB ...
and
Givi Gumbaridze
Givi Gumbaridze ( ka, გივი გუმბარიძე; born 22 March 1945) is a former Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1 ...
for most of its existence. From 1993 to 1997, the SII functioned as the Chief Directorate for Foreign Intelligence (საგარეო დაზვერვის მთავარი სამმართველო) under the Ministry for State Security. On September 19, 1997, the agency was transformed into an independent State Intelligence Department (დაზვერვის სახელმწიფო დეპარტამენტი), with two regional divisions for
Adjara
Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a'' ...
and
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
. Being briefly under the Ministry for State Security from 2004 to 2005, the agency was again made independent as the Foreign Intelligence Special Service (საგარეო დაზვერვის სპეციალური სამსახური) on January 24, 2005. The current name—Georgian Intelligence Service—was adopted in compliance with the new intelligence legislation passed in the
Parliament of Georgia
The Parliament of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პარლამენტი, tr) is the supreme national legislature of Georgia. It is a unicameral parliament, currently consisting of 150 members; of these, 120 are proportio ...
on April 27, 2010.
Structure
The GIS consists of five principal subdivisions. These are:
* Analytical Directorate
* Information Directorate
* Security Directorate
* Administrative Directorate
* Training Center
Heads of Georgian intelligence agency (1997–present)
*
Avtandil Ioseliani (September 1997 – February 2004)
*
Valeri Chkheidze (February–June 2004)
*
Batu Kutelia
Batu Kutelia is a Georgian politician, diplomat and political analyst.
He served as Ambassador of Georgia to the United States from January 2011 till November 2013. Previously, he had served as first deputy of the Minister of Defence of Georgia ...
(June–October 2004)
*
Anna Zhvania (October 2004 – February 2008)
*
Gela Bezhuashvili
Gela Bezhuashvili ( ka, გელა ბეჟუაშვილი) (born March 1, 1967) is a Georgian politician and served as the head of the Georgian Intelligence Service from February 1, 2008 to December 27, 2013. He formerly served as Minist ...
(February 2008 – December 2013)
*
Davit Sujashvili (December 2013 – September 2019)
*
Levan Izoria
Levan Izoria ( ka, ლევან იზორია; born 5 February 1974) is a Georgian politician, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Federal Republic of Germany.
Education and early years
Levan Izoria was born in ...
(September 2019 – 2020)
Head of Service
Georgian Intelligence Service. Retrieved on April 24, 2011
*Shalva Lomidze
Shalva Lomidze ( ka, შალვა ლომიძე}, romanized: ; born December 31, 1977) is a major general of intelligence serving as the 8th head of the Georgian Intelligence Service since April 24, 2021.
Career
Shalva Lomidze started his ...
(February 2020-present)
References
{{National intelligence agencies
Intelligence agencies
Government of Georgia (country)
Government agencies established in 1997
1997 establishments in Georgia (country)