The former Minister of Foreign Affairs and the presidential candidate of Georgia, before that managed to work as the French ambassador in this country. According to the tradition of small countries of the post-Soviet space, Salome Zurabishvili was invited to work by Mikhail Saakashvili, who told the French president: “Georgia never had a diplomat of this class.” True, he agreed with the assessment of parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze, who accused her of "incompetence and nepotism, " sending Salome to resign.
early years
Salome Levanovna Zurabishvili was born on March 18, 1952 in the French capital, Paris, in a family of migrants from Georgia. After the revolution and civil war, her ancestors emigrated to France, but retained contact with their homeland.
Grandfather Ivane Zurabishvili was a member of the Menshevik government of Georgia (during the period of independence in 1918-1921). She is a direct descendant of Niko Nikoladze (maternal great-great-granddaughter), a well-known Georgian enlightener and one of the leaders of the 19th-century national liberation movement. Nico built a seaport in Poti, and on his initiative the construction of the Georgian railway was started. Both grandfathers were associates of the writer and famous public figure Ilya Chavchavadze.
Salome Zurabishvili is a graduate of the forge of senior French officials: the Paris Institute of Political Science (1972), and Columbia University in the United States (1973). In addition to French and Georgian, he is fluent in Russian, English, Italian and German.
The beginning of a diplomatic career
A career biography of Salome Zurabishvili began in 1974 in the system of the French Foreign Ministry. She worked as the third secretary of the embassy in Italy, then the second secretary of the country's permanent mission to the UN. Since 1980, she worked in the central office of the foreign ministry in the center for analysis and forecasting.
The diplomat confidently moved up the career ladder, gradually occupying more and more responsible posts. From 1984 to 1988, she served as first secretary of the French Embassy in the United States. Then Salome Zurabishvili was sent to work in Africa, where she was the second secretary in Chad for three years. Since 1992, she worked in international organizations, first in the country's representation in NATO, then in the European Union, as deputy head of the French mission. In 1996, she returned to work in the central apparatus of the ministry, where she held various positions. In 1998-2001, she moved to work in the department of strategy, security and disarmament. In 2001, she received the post of head of the General Secretariat of the National Defense of France.
Homecoming
In 2003, Salome Zurabishvili was appointed to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Georgia. When she presented her credentials to President Shevarnadze, she said that she felt like in a dream. Her childhood dream came true - to visit the homeland of her ancestors, and she would be glad to use her experience for the benefit of Georgia. Mrs. Ambassador later said that she was very interested in working in her homeland, which began a new life after a long hibernation.
She did not work long as an ambassador; President Mikheil Saakashvili suggested that she head the country's foreign affairs department. Salome Zurabishvili later said that she did not hesitate for a second. Saakashvili himself agreed with the French president about this translation, which was unexpected for everyone. Then he also said that he dreamed of seeing her as a Georgian minister since their first meeting in 1996. He was convinced that the French diplomat in his new post would be able to achieve outstanding success in Georgia’s European integration and improving relations with the European Union.
In the ministerial post
In March 2004, a new stage began in the biography of Salome Zurabishvili. With the photo of the new minister in the front pages, news began in all the leading publications of the country. Although two weeks earlier, the possibility of such a “bureaucratic castling” was categorically denied by both the French ambassador and the head of the Georgian government.
One of the ambiguous initiatives of the new minister was the decree, according to which the newly appointed ambassadors came to present the credentials to the head of state in the country of residence in Cherkessk. Before that, the national Georgian costume was used mainly by actors of folklore ensembles.
Resignation
In the fall of 2005, Salome Zurabishvili was dismissed. Prior to that, she appeared on Georgian television, accusing speaker Nino Burjanadze of intent to establish a clan dictatorship. At the same time, the minister was not shy in expressions, calling her political opponents the word "kaji". In Georgian (colloquial version) it means "savage" or "hillbilly". In turn, Burjanadze accused Zurabishvili of incompetence.
Salome Zurabishvili considers his main success a decision to liquidate Russian military bases in Georgia. She also stated that the country no longer intends to deploy military bases of other states at all, but will not include such an item in an agreement with Russia, since this limits its sovereignty. As a result, according to the signed agreements, Russian troops were to be withdrawn from the country by the end of 2008.
Presidential candidate
After leaving the public service, Salome Zurabishvili created her own party. In 2010, she announced her retirement from Georgian politics, saying that she was convinced that there was no democracy in the country and the opposition was not allowed to work. Three years later, she returned to Tbilisi to participate in the presidential election as an independent candidate. However, she was denied registration due to dual citizenship.
In 2018, Salome Zurabishvili takes part in the country's parliamentary elections as a major independent candidate. Having gained 44.42% of the vote on October 8, she entered the second round. She is the only independent candidate supported by the ruling Georgian Dream Party.
