Biography
Salome Zurabishvili entered the story as the first female president of Georgia, defeating the elections on November 28, 2018. Zurabishvili's independent candidacy supported the ruling party "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia".Being born in Paris in the family of emigrants from Georgia, a woman made a brilliant diplomatic career in France, but always dreamed of returning to the historic homeland. Returned in the 2004th politician, passed the way from the opposition leader to the head of state.
Childhood and youth
Salome Levan Zurabishvili was born on March 18, 1952 in Paris. The family of the girls ran to France in 1921, after the fall of the Georgian Democratic Republic, whose government entered the grandfather Salome on his father - Ivan Ivanovich Zurabishvili.
Father Levan Zurabishvili worked by an engineer at a car manufacturing plant. Mother Zeynab Kediya was engaged in the house, raising her daughter. Living on a foreign land, parents tried to preserve their roots, culture, traditions, language.
Home family members communicated only in Georgian. Salome spoke fluid and read both in French and in his native language. Subsequently, Levan Ivanovich became the head of the Georgian diaspora in France, founded the Georgian Church in Paris.
Young Salome still at school began to show interest in social activities, journalism, and then politics. The girl together with his father participated in rallies, helped to produce a newspaper in his native language, translated articles on Georgian. It is closer to release, it decided on the political vector of its education.
The girl studied almost simultaneously at the Paris Institute of Political Sciences and the prestigious Columbia University in New York. The first university graduated from 1972, the second institution in 1973. By the time of release, in addition to Georgian, French and Russian, English, German and Italian knew perfectly well.
Career and political activities
Having to education, the girl entered the service of Foreign Foreign Ministry. And soon, in 1974, she received the first appointment - the third secretary at the French Embassy in Italy. Leaving in Rome, Salome took with her a wooden chest of her grandmother, with whom she came to Paris in 1921. From now on, this expensive thing she will accompany her in all meaningful trips and returns to the historic homeland in the new century.
A young woman's diplomatic post in Italy left in 1977 and until 1980 he worked as the Second Secretary of the Permanent Mission of France in the UN. The new position in the center of analysis and forecasting the central office of the foreign policy returned Salome to France. In Paris, Zurabishvili works until 1984, after which there is a serious career take-off in her biography - the appointment of the first secretary of the French Embassy in the United States.
The next stage of her rapid career was the appointment of the first secretary of the Conference of Defense and Security of Europe in Vienna. In 1988, Salome Levanovna goes to another continent: until the 1992th, a woman serves as the Second Secretary of the Embassy in the African Republic of Chad.
After work, the first secretary at the Permanent Mission of France in NATO in 1992 and the Deputy Permanent Representative of France in the European Union in 1993 Zurabishvili is occupied exclusively in the structure of the French Foreign Ministry - served as a technical adviser to the Cabinet (1996), an inspector (1997), an employee of the Strategy Management Efficient , safety and disarmament (1998-2001).
In 2001, Salome Levanovna is headed by the General Secretariat of National Defense on International Issues and Strategies. With this serious and responsible post, the diplomat leaves in 2003 in a very valid reason. Her children's dream just came true - to become an ambassador of France in the country of her dreams.
Upon returning to the birthion of the ancestors, 52-year-old Salome Levanovna diplodes into the political life of the country, which internal conflicts and contradictions were spawned at that moment. From the post of President Georgia, Edward Shevardnadze leaves, who actually led the Republic of 10 years. The government of Mikhail Saakashvili comes to replace the old power accused of corruption and inability to bring the country from the crisis, in 2004.
The new president suggested complied with compatriot to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, and Salome Zurabishvili accepts a proposal. After receiving Georgian citizenship, the Foreign Minister conducted a number of reforms in the field of his authority. In particular, initiated the withdrawal of Russian military bases from the territory of Georgia. Another decision was touched upon diplomatic etiquette: the minister introduced the duty of the ambassadors of other states to be awarded the credentials in the national costume - Cherkesska - as a sign of respect for the country of stay.
New reforms from the minister did not follow, and in October 2005, Zurabishvili was removed from the government office due to the conflict with the head of the Georgian parliament Nino Burjanadze. The incident arose on the basis of work on the coordination of ambassadors, which often acted directly by the poisoning authority. It did not like the head of the Foreign Ministry who spent sharp criticism against Burjanadze and the ruling party "Unified National Movement".
Displeased by what is happening in the country and the formation of its own political views on how it is worth developing the republic leads Zurabishvili to the creation of the opposition party "The Way of Georgia" in 2005. Further Salome Levanovna, being one of the opposition leaders, was struggle against the Saakashvili regime. But after his victory in the next elections in 2008, he stated that there was no democracy in the country, and in 2010, the powers of the party chapter, having left for France.
Her return to Georgia took place in 2012 in order to support the businessman Bijin Ivanishvili, who began to actively participate in the political life of the native country. It was with the support of the Ivanishvili party "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia" the ex-head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs became a deputy of the republic of the republic and began ascent to the highest echelons of power.
In the autumn of 2018, Zurabishvili, pre-abandoning France's citizenship, participates in the presidential race. Confidently defeating in the first round with 38.64% of the votes, the self-configuration was held in the second round, where Her the only rival was Grigol Washadze from the "Unified National Movement". As a result, with 59.52% of Votes Salom Zurabishvili recognized as the new president of Georgia. Triumphant photos of the people's chosen name on the same day decorated the first bands of newspapers.
Ex-Citizen France became the first woman president in the history of Georgia and the latest chosen by popular voting. After 6 years, the head of state will be appointed by the electoral collegium.
Personal life
Salome Levanna was married twice. With the first husband - Nikoloz Gjjestani - met in Rome in 1974. A man - ethnic Georgian on his father and the Ukrainian for the mother, was born in Iran. At one time, his father changed the real name of Gougushvili on Gjestani, which means "Georgians by origin." Family couple had two children were born - the son of Teimuraz and the daughter of Ketevan.
With Gijestan, a woman divorced back at the time of youth, before his departure to Africa, and for a long time did not think about her personal life. But in 1993, the diplomat met her big love - the journalist Zhanri Kashia, with whom she lived 9 happy years to the death of the spouse in 2012.
Salome Zurabishvili now
Immediately after the victory, the politician gave an interview in which he said that he intends to implement the main points of their election program, in particular, the peaceful association of the country, the transition to the European Development Model, EU and NATO.
A lady expressed and their position in relation to Russia. According to her, now the transition to cooperation with this country is not possible.
The inauguration of the first in the history of the female president of Georgia was scheduled for December 16, 2018.
Awards
- Legion of Honor
- Order of France "For Merit"