Ilia Darchiashvili, who most recently served as Head of the Government Administration, has been appointed as Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs as David Zalkaliani steps down to become the new Georgian Ambassador to the United States.
Announcing the decision, Prime Minister Garibashvili said that he is “convinced that [Darchiashvili] will be an excellent Foreign Minister, and I wish him success,” and noted his experience as the First Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, first deputy head of Georgia’s Municipal Development Fund, and Georgian Ambassador to Poland.
After being appointed to Foreign Minister, Darchiashvili said that he is honored by his new role and will continue pursuing Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration goals.
In response to the appointment, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he is looking forward to working with Foreign Minister Darchiashvili to “further strengthen the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Georgia.” Darchiashvili thanked his Ukrainian counterpart and said that he is “confident, our fruitful [cooperation] will further strengthen [the] friendship between [the] Georgian and Ukrainian people in achieving common successes and overcoming challenges.”
The Prime Minister thanked Zalkaliani for his work and noted his vast experience in “having served our country and the Foreign Ministry in various capacities over the past 30 years.” He added that, “The US is our country’s main strategic partner. And it is only natural that our government is appointing to this responsible position an asset with such vast diplomatic experience.”
“It’s been an honor to serve Georgia as the Foreign Minister. Immensely grateful to each and every member of my team for their devotion, as success we’ve achieved on the int’l arena would be impossible without them. From now on, I’ll do my utmost to enhance the U.S.-Georgia strategic partnership,” Zalkaliani tweeted.