19 Facts About Irakli Alasania

Irakli Alasania was born on 21 December 1973 and is a Georgian politician, soldier and former diplomat who served as the Minister of Defense of Georgia from 2012 to 2014.

Irakli Alasania was Georgia's Ambassador to the United Nations from September 11,2006, until December 4,2008.

In 2012 Irakli Alasania was appointed Minister of Defense, a position he held until 2014.

Irakli Alasania participated in the Abkhazian war despite not being an adult, but in the last days of war with the pressure of his father General Mamia Alasania he was forced to live in Abkhazia, his father was killed together with other Georgian politicians upon the fall of Sokhumi to the Abkhaz separatist forces on September 27,1993.

Irakli Alasania graduated from the Tbilisi State University with a degree in international law in 1995.

Irakli Alasania worked for the Ministry of State Security of Georgia from 1994 to 1998.

Irakli Alasania was against of cooperating with Russian forces against Chechen Boeviks.

Irakli Alasania 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.

Irakli Alasania retained his position of the President's special envoy for the Abkhazia issue and in this capacity, paid a surprise and largely unpublicized visit to Sukhumi on May 12,2008, where he presented a Georgia-Abkhaz peace plan.

On 26 December 2008, several days after his return to Georgia, Irakli Alasania announced that he was in talks with Georgian opposition and would actively enter Georgian politics.

Irakli Alasania criticized the government's handling of recent events, blaming it for "falling into a Russian trap".

Irakli Alasania called for the creation of strong and transparent democratic institutions.

On February 16,2009, Irakli Alasania held a press conference, naming members of his group and declared his vision for Georgia's political and economic future.

Representatives from most of Georgian opposition parties attended the presentation; most of them expressed their interest in cooperating with Irakli Alasania's newly formed party.

On February 23,2009, Irakli Alasania's team joined the Republican and New Rights parties in an alliance called "The Alliance for Georgia".

Irakli Alasania became the alliance's chairman, while Davit Usupashvili of the Republican Party and Davit Gamkrelidze of the New Rights became co-chairmen.

In September 2009, the Irakli Alasania announced that he would run for Tbilisi mayor's post in local elections in May 2010.

Alasania served as Minister of Defense from October 2012 until November 2014, when Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili replaced him with Mindia Janelidze, after 6 of Ministry's senior members were arrested on charges of embezzlement and Alasania called it "attack on Euro-Atlantic choice".

Irakli Alasania was leader of party's proportional list and majoritarian candidate in 41st constituency of Gori.