The Parliament of Georgia today confirmed Mamuka Bakhtadze as the Prime Minister through a confidence vote in the cabinet he put forward. The Parliament of Georgia voted to approve the renewed composition of the Government. The legislative body also granted a vote of confidence to the 2018-2020 Freedom, Rapid Development, and Prosperity Government Program.
Newcomers to the cabinet are David Zalkaliani as Foreign Minister, Giorgi Cherkezishvili as Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, and Nikoloz Gagua as Finance Minister. The new cabinet took office immediately following the vote.
At a confirmation hearing, Mamuka Bakhtadze underscored that Georgia will continue forward on its path towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
“In foreign policy, we will be consistent on the path of full integration into the European Union and will use all the existing mechanisms of cooperation to ensure a more systematic and transparent integration process with the European Union. We will fulfill the obligations under the Association Agreement at a rapid pace and will return to the European family,” said Bakhtadze.
He continued, “Full integration into NATO is a crucial task of Georgia’s foreign policy and is vital for the country’s security and stable development. Our main foreign policy priority is to strengthen Georgia’s internationally recognized borders and sovereignty, de-occupation of the country and restoration of territorial integrity.”
Mr. Bakhtadze, previously serving as Minister of Finance, replaced Giorgi Kvirikashvili who resigned on June 14th.