40 Facts About Irakli Garibashvili

Irakli Garibashvili is a Georgian politician and a former business executive who served as the prime minister of Georgia between 22 February 2021 and 29 January 2024.

Irakli Garibashvili had previously served as prime minister from 20 November 2013 until his resignation on 30 December 2015.

Irakli Garibashvili entered politics with his long-time associate Bidzina Ivanishvili, in October 2012.

Irakli Garibashvili served as Defence Minister of Georgia in the cabinet of prime minister Giorgi Gakharia from 2019 to 2021 and, prior to that, as Minister of Internal Affairs in the cabinet of Bidzina Ivanishvili from 2012 to 2013.

From 1988 to 1999 Irakli Garibashvili attended the secondary school No 1 in Dedoplistsqaro.

From 1999 to 2005 Irakli Garibashvili studied International Relations at Tbilisi State University, where he graduated with a master's degree.

Irakli Garibashvili studied at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University from 2002 to 2004.

Irakli Garibashvili started by working for logistics division of the construction company Burji, owned by Ivanshvili's Cartu Group.

Irakli Garibashvili became Director General of Ivanishvili's charity foundation Cartu in 2005, a member of the supervisory board of Ivanishvili's Cartu Bank in 2007, and director of the label Georgian Dream founded by Ivanishvili's pop-star son Bera from 2009 to 2012.

Irakli Garibashvili was one of the founding members and initially headed the party's revision committee.

Irakli Garibashvili was included in the party list of MP candidates for the October 2012 parliamentary election.

Irakli Garibashvili's agency faced the post-election spike in crime in Georgia after the newly elected government granted large-scale prison amnesty to reduce Georgia's high incarceration rate.

Irakli Garibashvili opposed the amnesty project, but it was implemented by the parliament anyway.

Irakli Garibashvili defended the arrests of the former ministers as being in strict accordance with the law and justice and claimed that the rate of minor crime, albeit increased, was not alarming.

Irakli Garibashvili thus occupied the most powerful political office in the country as the constitution amendments had transferred power from the president to the prime minister and the government.

At heated parliamentary debates with the United National Movement minority during the vote, Irakli Garibashvili promised economic improvement and stressed that Georgia's EU and NATO aspiration would remain his foreign priorities.

In February 2018, Irakli Garibashvili became the regional adviser to the board of the CEFC China Energy company.

Irakli Garibashvili is heard encouraging the retributions on the covertly recorded tapes.

Irakli Garibashvili stated that the state would build a plant on much favorable terms.

Irakli Garibashvili additionally said that "the only parade I know, that will be held in our country, is that of our army" and proclaimed that "minorities will no longer decide the fate of the majority in this country".

Irakli Garibashvili blamed the "radical opposition" and the ex-president in exile, Mikheil Saakashvili, for being behind the pride parade in order to destabilize the country and cause chaos.

The ruling party, "Georgian Dream" denied the information and stated that Saakashvili is in Ukraine and has not left the territory of Ukraine, but later Irakli Garibashvili Gharibashvili announced at a briefing together with the Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri and the head of the State Security Service Grigol Liluashvili that Mikheil Saakashvili is under arrest.

Irakli Garibashvili illegally crossed the state border of Georgia, bypassing the customs control.

Irakli Garibashvili's health deteriorated during his time in prison, due to which the government of Georgia received criticism from European Parliament, alleging ill-treatment of Saakashvili and violation of his rights.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili described gambling addiction as "one of the biggest problems" of the population, describing problem as especially widespread among young and vulnerable people.

On 12 June 2023, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced that the government would draft a new surrogacy law which would ban commercial surrogacy.

Irakli Garibashvili said that the law was necessary to protect Georgian women from exploitation and to ensure child safety since foreigner nationals often took children abroad and sold them to same-sex couples.

Irakli Garibashvili went on his first official visit to Brussels in March 2021, met with the President of the European Parliament and other important political figures, before that Charles Michel visited Georgia on 1 March 2021.

In September 2021, Irakli Garibashvili arrived in New York and addressed the 76th session of the United Nations, where he declared his readiness to be a moderator in the improvement of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and he said that Georgia would take all possible steps to achieve peace in the South Caucasus.

Irakli Garibashvili met him personally, and they talked about the improvement of defense cooperation between the US and Georgia.

On 24 October 2022, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Georgia and along with Irakli Garibashvili, held a briefing with journalists in Mtskheta, the parties announced that they will deepen the relationship and Georgia will transport an even larger amount of oil from Azerbaijan through the Black Sea.

On 4 May 2023, Irakli Garibashvili attended the Conservative Political Action Conference in Hungary.

Irakli Garibashvili was second acting Prime Minister along with Hungarian Prime Minister to attend the event.

Irakli Garibashvili lauded Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his wise and visionary leadership.

In July 2023, Irakli Garibashvili hosted Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov in Georgia, and afterwards, visited China and Kazakhstan.

On 29 January 2024, Irakli Garibashvili announced that he would step down from his position as Prime Minister and would accept an offer to become chairman of the Georgian Dream party ahead of parliamentary elections to be held later in the year.

In October 2022 poll, Irakli Garibashvili was the third most approved public figure in Georgia after Patriarch Ilia II and Kakha Kaladze, outpacing President Salome Zurabishvili.

In March 2023 poll, Irakli Garibashvili again finished on 4th place behind Patriarch Ilia, President Zurabishvili and Mayor Kaladze.

Irakli Garibashvili said that "small state idea is a myth impeding the country's development" and called on the government to play an active role in economy.

Irakli Garibashvili's father-in-law, Tamaz Tamazashvili, is a former police general who was arrested on charges of illegally carrying and keeping weapon and explosives in October 2011.