21 Facts About Giorgi Karkarashvili

Giorgi Karkarashvili was born on October 31,1966 and is a Georgian politician and retired major general who served as Georgia's Minister of Defense from May 1993 to March 1994.

Giorgi Karkarashvili was a member of the Parliament of Georgia from 1999 to 2004.

Giorgi Karkarashvili took part in fighting against the South Ossetian militias in the early months of 1991 and was promoted to colonel.

In December 1991, Giorgi Karkarashvili joined the Tengiz Kitovani-led rebellious faction of military in a violent coup against President Zviad Gamsakhurdia and headed a storm of the government's building which ended in Gamsakhurdia's flight from Tbilisi in January 1992.

When fighting resumed in South Ossetia in May 1992, Giorgi Karkarashvili was put in command of Georgian forces which recovered several ethnic Georgian villages, winning to its 26-year-old commander the rank of major-general.

Giorgi Karkarashvili soon resigned, citing dissatisfaction with Shevardnadze's acceptance of Russian-proposed terms of the peace settlement.

Giorgi Karkarashvili was put in command of the Georgian troops in the regional capital Sukhumi.

Giorgi Karkarashvili's words have been cited in different forms in different sources and received by the Abkhaz side as a threat to cleanse the region of its Abkhaz populace.

Years later, in a February 2009 interview to a Tbilisi-based Maestro TV, Giorgi Karkarashvili claimed that the televised address was edited to make it appear he threatened to destroy the Abkhaz.

Giorgi Karkarashvili commanded the Georgian forces throughout the war in Abkhazia.

Giorgi Karkarashvili was frequently critical of Shevardnadze's policies and displayed a tendency to independent decision-making.

Giorgi Karkarashvili attempted to make the Georgian military more integrated and disciplined.

Giorgi Karkarashvili named the Russian and Israeli armies to be models on which to build the Georgian military.

From October to November 1993, Giorgi Karkarashvili took command of the government forces in a brief civil war reincited by Gamsakhurdia's attempt to regain power.

Giorgi Karkarashvili was later implicated in an embezzlement scandal and accused of supplying classified military information to the Abkhaz and Russian commanders during the war.

In September 1994, Giorgi Karkarashvili went to Moscow and enrolled into the Russian General Staff Academy.

Giorgi Karkarashvili resigned his seat over health problems in November 2005.

Giorgi Karkarashvili came again to public attention after the August 2008 war between Georgia and Russia.

Giorgi Karkarashvili produced a report in which he accused the Georgian government for having mismanaged military operations.

In May 2009, Giorgi Karkarashvili's name was implicated by the retired officer Gia Ghvaladze, arrested in connection with the failed army mutiny as an alleged sympathizer with the coup plot.

Giorgi Karkarashvili rejected any links with the mutiny and released video footage showing him talking with the certain Melikidze who allegedly was trying to persuade him to take part in the mutiny.