Vera Kobalia ( ka, ვერა ქობალია) (born 24 August 1981) 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 has served in the

Cabinet of Georgia , border = , image = , image_size=200px , alt= , image2 = , image_size2 = , alt2 = , caption = Coat of arms , date_established = , date_dissolved = , state = , country = , polity = , leader_title = Prime Minister , appoi ...

as the country's Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development from 2 July 2010 to 25 October 2012.

Early life

Kobalia was born in 1981 in

Sukhumi Sukhumi (russian: Суху́м(и), ) or Sokhumi ( ka, სოხუმი, ), also known by its Abkhaz name Aqwa ( ab, Аҟәа, ''Aqwa''), is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of ...

in the disputed Georgian region of

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 ...

. In 1996, her family emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

because of the instability brought about by the Georgian–Abkhazian conflict. She attended

King George Secondary School King George Secondary School is a public secondary school located in the West End of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The school is located in the West End, with two elementary schools feeding in. Some students are from other areas of Vanc ...

, and subsequently the

British Columbia Institute of Technology The British Columbia Institute of Technology (also referred to as BCIT), is a public polytechnic institute in Burnaby, British Columbia. The technical institute has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with its main campus in Burn ...

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, where in 2004 she graduated with a degree in business administration and informational technologies.

Political career

Kobalia lived in Canada until late 2009 where she worked for European Breads Bakery, the

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

-based company started by her father in 2001, after which she moved back to Georgia. In February 2010, Kobalia co-founded th
Coalition for Justice
an organization dedicated to the preservation of the rights

internally displaced person An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. A ...

s within Georgia, and to increase public awareness of the problems of Georgian IDPs around the world. In June 2010, Kobalia was appointed by President

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

as the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development in the

, and her appointment was confirmed by 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 July 2, 2010. Kobalia said that agriculture and tourism would be the two biggest priority sectors of her tenure, and she vowed to reorganize her department under the slogan "no nepotism" to help purge institutional corruption in government. Kobalia's appointment raised eyebrows because of Kobalia's young age (she was only 28 at the time of her appointment) and lack of political experience. She first came to President Saakashvili's attention four months before her appointment when a delegation of Vancouver's Georgian community met with the president while he was in town for the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

in Vancouver. Nodar Javakhishvili, the former head of the Georgian National Bank, was quoted as saying that Kobalia had been appointed "without having either the necessary education or any experience whatsoever." Other pundits have noted that President Saakashvili, himself only 36 when he came to power, has a habit of appointing young ministers and openly claims that pulling the younger generation into positions of power is a deliberate strategy to build a new Georgia free from the legacy of Soviet domination. “World Economic Forum” named Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Vera Kobalia as Young Global Leader 2012. Vera Kobalia is the only Georgian politician who won this award. Kobalia lost her position after Saakashvili's United National Movement lost majority of parliamentary seats to the

Georgian Dream Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia ( ka, ქართული ოცნება – დემოკრატიული საქართველო, ''Kartuli ocneba – Demok’rat’iuli Sakartvelo'') is a social democratic political ...

coalition in the October 1, 2012 parliamentary election. On October 25, 2012, she was succeeded by the Georgian Dream member

Giorgi Kvirikashvili Giorgi Kvirikashvili ( ka, გიორგი კვირიკაშვილი; born 20 July 1967) is a Georgian politician who was Prime Minister of Georgia from 30 December 2015 to 13 June 2018. Prior to that he was Minister of Economy and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kobalia, Vera 1981 births Living people British Columbia Institute of Technology alumni Government ministers of Georgia (country) People from Sukhumi Women government ministers of Georgia (country) 21st-century women politicians from Georgia (country) 21st-century politicians from Georgia (country)