Giorgi Arveladze ( ka, გიორგი არველაძე, born July 10, 1978) is a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

politician who served as the Minister of Economic Development from 2006 to 2008 under President

Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil Saakashvili ( ka, მიხეილ სააკაშვილი ; uk, Міхеіл Саакашвілі ; born 21 December 1967) is a Georgian and Ukrainian politician and jurist.

. Arveladze is an ally of Saakashvili and played a central role in the

Rose Revolution The Rose Revolution or Revolution of Roses ( ka, ვარდების რევოლუცია, tr) was a nonviolent change of power that occurred in Georgia in November 2003. The event was brought about by widespread protests over the ...

of November 2003.

Education

In 1993, Arveladze spent a year studying abroad in 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 ...

and said it "inspired" his later career. Many members of the Saakashvili government that Arveladze worked with, also attended schools in the United States. Arveladze attended

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

from 1997 to 1998, studying political science. In 1999, he studied at

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

, earning a bachelor's degree in international relations. In 2000, he earned a master's degree from the

Georgian Institute of Public Affairs Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) **Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group **Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scripts ...

Career

Georgian Politics

From 1995 to 1998, Arveladze worked at several youth-focused

non-governmental organizations A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

. He then worked as a defense and national security consultant for the Georgian Parliament for several years. From January to October 2001, Arveladze worked as the Director of Penitentiary reforms under

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

, Mikheil Saakashvili. In October 2001, he was appointed the first secretary general for Saakashvili's new party, United National Movement (UNM). He would serve as secretary general for UNM, until stepping down on December 29, 2006 to focus on his new role of Minister of Economic Development. Arveladze was a member of parliament, from April 2004 to October 2005. He was a member of the Defense and Security Committee and the Committee On European Integration. He headed Georgia's parliamentary permanent delegation to the

NATO Parliamentary Assembly Founded in 1955, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) serves as the consultative interparliamentary organisation for the North Atlantic Alliance. Its current President is Gerald E. Connolly from the United States, elected in 2019. Its curre ...

. From October 2005 to November 2006, he served as the Head of Administration, or Chief of Staff, for Saakashvili's government. On November 20, 2006, he was appointed Minister of Economic Development following the resignation of his precursor

Irakli Okruashvili Irakli Okruashvili ( ka, ირაკლი ოქრუაშვილი) (born 6 November 1973) is a Georgian politician who had served on various important posts in the Government of Georgia under President Mikheil Saakashvili, including be ...

. Kakha Damenia, a deputy under Arveladze, was found guilty for neglect of official duties in January 2020. Tamara Kovziridze, another deputy under Arveladze, now works for Reformatics, a boutique consulting firm.

Ukrainian Politics

In 2012, Arveladze moved to Ukraine with his wife, a native Ukrainian. Two years later he emerged as a member of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko's party Batkivschina after her release from prison. Timoshenko introduced her party members on the TV program ''Shuster LIVE'' on October 24, 2014, and named Arveladze as a representative of Georgia's reformist government.

References

1978 births Living people Government ministers of Georgia (country) United National Movement (Georgia) politicians {{Georgia-politician-stub