Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TBILISI170
2009-01-30 14:46:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tbilisi
Cable title:
GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER RESIGNS, FINANCE MINISTER
how-toVZCZCXRO9344 OO RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHSI #0170 0301446 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 301446Z JAN 09 FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0868 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 000170
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2019
TAGS: ECON ENRG PGOV PREL RU GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER RESIGNS, FINANCE MINISTER
TO HEAD GOVERNMENT
REF: TBILISI 90
Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 000170
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2019
TAGS: ECON ENRG PGOV PREL RU GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER RESIGNS, FINANCE MINISTER
TO HEAD GOVERNMENT
REF: TBILISI 90
Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C) After a prolonged illness over the past few months,
including extensive treatment in Europe, Prime Minister
Mgaloblishvili submitted his resignation to the President on
January 30. Although only 35 years old, Mgaloblishvili is
suffering from kidney disease and as reported reftel, is
visibly ill and not improving. According to the Prime
Minister's chief of staff, First Vice Prime Minister and
Finance Minister Nika Gilauri will be publicly named prime
minister by President Saakashvili in a speech to the country
later this evening. Mgaloblishvili has been ill for over a
month, and many, including post believed that Gilauri would
be the likely successor (reftel). When we contacted Deputy
Minister of Finance Dmitri Gvindadze he said that they were
in a meeting, and that while, at this point, he could not
officially confirm Gilauri was the new PM, it was "most
likely."
2. (C) Gilauri has long been a close contact of post,
especially on economic and assistance issues. When
Mgaloblishvili took office in late October, Gilauri assumed a
large part of what had been prior PM responsibilities, namely
coordinating post-conflict assistance. Prior to assuming the
job of Finance Minister, Gilauri served as Minister of Energy
from February 2004 to September 2007. Gilauri received his
BA in economics from the University of Limerick and his MA in
international business management from the University of
Philadelphia.
TEFFT
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2019
TAGS: ECON ENRG PGOV PREL RU GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER RESIGNS, FINANCE MINISTER
TO HEAD GOVERNMENT
REF: TBILISI 90
Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C) After a prolonged illness over the past few months,
including extensive treatment in Europe, Prime Minister
Mgaloblishvili submitted his resignation to the President on
January 30. Although only 35 years old, Mgaloblishvili is
suffering from kidney disease and as reported reftel, is
visibly ill and not improving. According to the Prime
Minister's chief of staff, First Vice Prime Minister and
Finance Minister Nika Gilauri will be publicly named prime
minister by President Saakashvili in a speech to the country
later this evening. Mgaloblishvili has been ill for over a
month, and many, including post believed that Gilauri would
be the likely successor (reftel). When we contacted Deputy
Minister of Finance Dmitri Gvindadze he said that they were
in a meeting, and that while, at this point, he could not
officially confirm Gilauri was the new PM, it was "most
likely."
2. (C) Gilauri has long been a close contact of post,
especially on economic and assistance issues. When
Mgaloblishvili took office in late October, Gilauri assumed a
large part of what had been prior PM responsibilities, namely
coordinating post-conflict assistance. Prior to assuming the
job of Finance Minister, Gilauri served as Minister of Energy
from February 2004 to September 2007. Gilauri received his
BA in economics from the University of Limerick and his MA in
international business management from the University of
Philadelphia.
TEFFT