Malkhaz Akishbaia is an Abkhaz

Abkhaz people

The Abkhaz or Abkhazians are a Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. A large Abkhazian diaspora population resides in Turkey, the origins of which lie in the emigration from the Caucasus in the late 19th century known as Muhajirism...

 politician and the Chairman of Council of Ministers of the de jure

De jure

De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....

Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia (GARA) from March 2006 to June 2009.

Born in Gudava, Gali district

Gali district

Gali district is a district of Abkhazia. Its capital is Gali, the town by the same name. The district is smaller than the eponymous one in the de jure subdivision of Georgia, as some of its former territory is now part of Tkvarcheli District, formed by de facto Abkhaz authorities in 1995.Gali...

, Abkhaz ASSR, Georgian SSR, in 1972, Akishbaia graduated from Kiev University

Kiev University

Taras Shevchenko University or officially the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv , colloquially known in Ukrainian as KNU is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is the third oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and Kharkiv University. Currently, its structure...

 in 1994 and finished his master’s degree at University of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

. He worked for the ministries of economics (1999–2001) and defense (2004) and for 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:...

 (2004). From December 2004 to March 2006, he served as a minister of finances within the GARA and became the chair of this government in March 2006. His government was in exile

Government in exile

A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...

 in Tbilisi after the war with Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 in August 2008. He resigned on June 11, 2009, being succeeded by Giorgi Baramia

Giorgi Baramia

Giorgi Baramia is a Georgian diplomat and the chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia since June 2009....

as the chairman of the GARA. Akishbaia was later appointed deputy Minister of Agriculture of Georgia.

External links

• Official website
• Profile: Malkhaz Akishbaia Guardian News. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
• Malkhaz Akishbaia accuses Russian militants of violating human right Georgian Times; (2009.02.04). Retrieved May 2, 2009.
• Malkhaz Akishbaia News Explorer; updated on Monday, March 16, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.