Irakli Alasania
Encyclopedia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
politician and former diplomat. He was Georgia’s Ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
from September 11, 2006, until December 4, 2008. His previous assignments include Chairman of the Government of Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
(-in-exile) and the President of Georgia
President of Georgia
The President of Georgia is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Government of Georgia. Executive power is split between the President and the Prime Minister, who is the head of government...
’s aide in the Georgian-Abkhaz
Georgian-Abkhaz conflict
The Georgian–Abkhazian conflict refers to the ethnic conflict between Georgians and Abkhazians in Abkhazia, which is presently a de facto independent partially recognized republic...
talks. Soon after his resignation, Alasania withdrew into opposition to the Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili is a Georgian politician, the third and current President of Georgia and leader of the United National Movement Party.Involved in the national politics since 1995, Saakashvili became president on 25 January 2004 after President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned in a November 2003...
administration, setting up the Our Georgia – Free Democrats
Our Georgia – Free Democrats
Our Georgia – Free Democrats is a political party in Georgia chaired by Irakli Alasania; it was founded on 16 July 2009. The party is currently in opposition to the government led by Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement....
party in July 2009.
Early life and career
Irakli Alasania was born in BatumiBatumi
Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
, Adjara
Adjara
Adjara , officially the Autonomous Republic of Adjara , is an autonomous republic of Georgia.Adjara is located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, bordered by Turkey to the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea...
. His father was General Mamia Alasania
Mamia Alasania
Mamia Alasania was a colonel of the Georgian Armed Forces, defending the Government of the Georgian Autonomous Republic of Abkazia from separatist and russian combatants during the conflict in Abkhazia in 1990s...
, who was killed together with other Georgian politicians upon the fall
Sukhumi Massacre
The Sukhumi massacre took place on September 27, 1993, during and after the fall of Sukhumi into separatist hands in the course of the War in Abkhazia. It was perpetrated against Georgian civilians of Sukhumi, mainly by militia forces of Abkhaz separatists, their North Caucasian and Russian allies...
of Sokhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
to the Abkhaz separatist forces on September 27, 1993. Irakli Alasania graduated from the Tbilisi State University
Tbilisi State University
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University , better known as Tbilisi State University , is a university established on 8 February 1918 in Tbilisi, Georgia. TSU is the oldest university in the whole Caucasus region...
with a degree in international law in 1995. Simultaneously he also took courses at the Georgian Academy of Security from 1994 to 1996. He worked for the Ministry of State Security of Georgia from 1994 to 1998, and was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, is one of seventeen ministries of the Cabinet of Georgia, responsible for the country's network of relationships with foreign nations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located on Chitadze Street in Tbilisi, Georgia...
in October 2001. He then served as deputy Minister of State Security from February 2002 to February 2004, and deputy Minister of Defense from March 2004 until July 2004, when he was moved to serve as the Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council of Georgia
National Security Council of Georgia
The National Security Council of Georgia is an advisory body for the President of Georgia dealing with matters of national security. The current Secretary of the National Security Council of Georgia is Giga Bokeria.-Legal authority:...
.
Diplomatic service
On September 28, 2004, Georgian President Mikheil SaakashviliMikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili is a Georgian politician, the third and current President of Georgia and leader of the United National Movement Party.Involved in the national politics since 1995, Saakashvili became president on 25 January 2004 after President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned in a November 2003...
appointed Alasania as chairman of the Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
-based Abkhazian government-in-exile. On February 15, 2005, Saakashvili also made him his aide in the Georgian-Abkhaz peace talks, a move that was initially opposed by the Abkhaz secessionist leadership, but later accepted under pressure from the U.N. mission (UNOMIG). During this tenure, Alasania succeeding in establishing good ties with several Abkhaz politicians and was instrumental in resuming the Georgian-Abkhaz Coordination Council, a tool for direct talks between the two sides, in March 2006. That month, however, he was appointed as Georgia’s Permanent Representative to the U.N., a decision which triggered some controversy, with critics saying that sidelining Alasania from the Georgian-Abkhaz negotiations would hinder the positive momentum recently observed in the process.
Alasania, however, has retained his position of the President’s special envoy for the Abkhazia issues. In this capacity, he paid a surprise and largely unpublicized visit to Sukhumi on May 12, 2008. The move came amid the stalemate in the Georgian-Abkhaz talks and increasing Russian-Georgian tensions
2008 Georgia-Russia crisis
The Georgia–Russia crisis is a current and ongoing international crisis between Georgia and Russia that escalated in 2008, when both countries accused each other of military buildup near the separatist regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia...
over Abkhazia.
Alasania resigned his position as Georgia's Permanent Representative at the U.N. on December 4, 2008. JONDO
Political career
On 26 December 2008, several days after his return to Georgia, Alasania announced that he was in talks with Georgian opposition and would actively enter Georgian politics. Alasania criticized the government’s handling of recent events, blaming it for "falling into a Russian trap" (a reference to the August 2008 war with Russia2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
). Alasania also called for the creation of strong and transparent democratic institutions. In a subsequent interview on January 25, Alasania called for Saakashvili's resignation and early presidential elections.
On February 16, 2009, Alasania held a press conference, naming members of his group and declared his vision for Georgia's political and economic future. Among people appearing with him as supporters were several former ambassadors including Levan Mikeladze
Levan Mikeladze
Levan Mikeladze was a Georgian diplomat and politician. He was Georgia's Ambassador to Austria , to USA and to Switzerland...
, a former Georgian ambassador to the U.S and the OSCE as well as Switzerland and UN missions in Geneva, Victor Dolidze
Victor Dolidze
Viktor Isidorovich Dolidze Viktor Isidorovich Dolidze Viktor Isidorovich Dolidze (ვიქტორ ისიდორეს ძე დოლიძე (1890–1933) - Soviet Georgian composer.Victor Dolidze was born 18 (30) July, 1890 in the city of Kutaisi Province Ozurgeti in a poor peasant family.He studied at Tiflis commercial school...
, who recently quit his post as envoy to the OSCE
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
and Aleksi Petriashvili, Georgia’s former ambassador to Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. The lawyer Shalva Shavgulidze was also named as a member of Alasania's team. Representatives from most of Georgian opposition parties attended the presentation; most of them expressed their interest in cooperating with Alasania's newly formed party. Two days after the announcements were made Gia Karkarashvili, former Minister of Defense during the War in Abkhazia
War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)
The War in Abkhazia from 1992 to 1993 was waged chiefly between Georgian government forces on one side and Abkhaz separatist forces supporting independence of Abkhazia from Georgia on the other side. Ethnic Georgians, who lived in Abkhazia fought largely on the side of Georgian government forces...
, expressed his full support for Alasania's ideas.
On February 23, 2009, Alasania's team joined the Republican
Republican Party of Georgia
The Republican Party of Georgia , commonly known as the Republicans , is a political party in Georgia active since 1978. It is currently in opposition to Mikheil Saakashvili’s government...
and New Rights parties in an alliance called "The Alliance for Georgia". Alasania became the alliance's chairman, while Davit Usupashvili of the Republican Party and Davit Gamkrelidze of the New Rights became co-chairmen. The alliance called on President Saakashvili to agree within next ten days to allow the voters decide whether they wanted early presidential elections through a nation-wide referendum.
Alasania founded the political party Our Georgia – Free Democrats
Our Georgia – Free Democrats
Our Georgia – Free Democrats is a political party in Georgia chaired by Irakli Alasania; it was founded on 16 July 2009. The party is currently in opposition to the government led by Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement....
— as part of the Alliance for Georgia — on 16 July 2009. In September 2009, the Alliance announced that Alasania would run for Tbilisi mayor’s post in local elections expected to take place on May 30, 2010.