On Monday 26 November 2007, Salomé Zourabichvili (Former Georgian Foreign Minister) will lead a discussion on "The Future of Georgia's Democracy and Russia’s Near Abroad Policy" from 5-6 pm.
Salomé Zourabichvili has served both as a senior French diplomat and as the Georgian Minister for Foreign Affairs. A dual national, she was born in Paris to Georgian parents, and was educated at the Insitute d’Etudes Politiques and Columbia University before joining the French diplomatic service. Among her many postings, she served in Rome and Washington, at NATO, the United Nations, and the Centre d’Analyse et de Prévision, and as Head of the Strategic Issues Section in the Department of Disarmament and Security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2001-3 she served as Director for International and Strategic Affairs in the Prime Minister’s General Secretariat for National Defence, before her appointment as Ambassador to the Republic of Georgia. She is a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur and a Chevalier de l'ordre national du Mérite.
In 2004, President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia asked her to join the government of Zourab Jvania as Minister for Foreign Affairs. From March 2004 to October 2005 she served as the first female Foreign Minister of the Republic of Georgia. In March 2006 she formed a new political party, Georgia’s Way. Following mass rallies by the opposition and the government's declaration of a state of emergency, the nine-party opposition coalition announced a two-person ticket for the 5 January 2008 presidential election, with Mrs Zourabichvili as their candidate for prime minister.
Mrs Zourabichvili will speak on the current political upheaval in Georgia, as well as Russia’s policy towards and influence upon its neighbours.
The meeting will be chaired by Nigel Inkster (IISS Director for Transnational Threats and Political Risk) and will take place on the Fourth Floor at Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street, Temple Place, London, WC2R 3DX.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP Kathleen James on Email:
james@iiss.org or Tel. 020 7395 9109
