Vazha Lortkipanidze is a Georgian

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 politician and statesman, former Prime Minister of Georgia

Prime Minister of Georgia

The Prime Minister of Georgia is the most senior minister within the Cabinet of Georgia, appointed by the President of Georgia. The official title of the Head of the Government of Georgia has varied throughout history, however, the duties and functions of the leader have changed only marginally....

 and Ambassador of Georgia to Russia

Embassy of Georgia in Moscow

The Embassy of the Republic of Georgia in Moscow was the diplomatic mission of Georgia in the Russian Federation. It is located at 6 Maly Rzhevsky Lane in the Arbat district of Moscow. On 29 August 2008, Georgia broke diplomatic relations with Russia and withdrew all its diplomats from Russia and...

, member of the Parliament of Georgia

Parliament of Georgia

Parliament of Georgia is the supreme legislature of Georgia. It is unicameral and has 150 members, known as deputies, from which 75 members are proportional representatives and 75 are elected through single-member district plurality system, representing their constituencies...

.

Early years

Lortkipanidze was born on November 29, 1949 in Tbilisi

Tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...

, Georgia

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

. In 1973, he graduated from Mathematics Department of Tbilisi State University

Tbilisi State University

Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University , better known as Tbilisi State University , is a university established on 8 February 1918 in Tbilisi, Georgia. TSU is the oldest university in the whole Caucasus region...

 and Moscow Academy of Sciences with bachelor's and then doctoral degrees.

In 1983-1986, he was second and then first secretary of Central Committee of Georgian Komsomol

Komsomol

The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...

 during Eduard Shevardnadze

Eduard Shevardnadze

Eduard Shevardnadze is a former Soviet, and later, Georgian statesman from the height to the end of the Cold War. He served as President of Georgia from 1995 to 2003, and as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party , from 1972 to 1985. Shevardnadze was responsible for many top decisions on...

's tenure as the First Secretary of Georgian SSR. In 1986-1988, he was the First Secretary of Mtatsminda Regional Committee of Communist Party of Georgia and then worked as the head of department in the CC of Communist Party of Georgia and in 1989-1990 as Deputy Chairman of Cabinet of Ministers of Georgia

Cabinet of Georgia

The Cabinet of Georgia is an executive council of government ministers in Georgia. It is headed by the Prime Minister of Georgia. In the cases of utmost importance, the meetings may be led by the President of Georgia . The first Cabinet of Georgia was formed by Noe Zhordania in the Democratic...

.

Political career

When Zviad Gamsakhurdia

Zviad Gamsakhurdia

Zviad Gamsakhurdia was a dissident, scientist and writer, who became the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era...

 took over with independence of Georgia, Lortkipanidze left government work finding a job at Tbilisi Research Institute, but with Shevardnadze's return to power in January 1992, he was immediately appointed Chief of Staff of Presidential Administration of Georgia

Presidential Administration of Georgia

Presidential Administration of Georgia is the executive body of administration of President of Georgia. The office of the Presidential administration is located on the left bank of the Kura River, in the Avlabari district of Tbilisi, Georgia.-History:...

, a post he held until January 17, 1995. From 1995 through 1998, he was the Ambassador of Georgia to Russia. His additional duties were representing the Georgian side in the Russian-mediated negotiations with Abkhazia

Abkhazia

Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...

. He had good relations with high-ranking officials in the Russian government but at home he was considered pro-Russian by the opposition parties. Lortkipanidze was appointed Prime Minister of Georgia on July 31, 1998 shortly after Nikoloz Lekishvili

Nikoloz Lekishvili

Nikoloz Lekishvili is a Georgian politician and statesman, former Prime Minister of Georgia and Mayor of Tbilisi, member of the Parliament of Georgia.-Early years:...

 resigned from the post on July 26 due to criticism on economic policies. Lortkipanidze left the post on May 11, 2000 and was replaced by Giorgi Arsenishvili

Giorgi Arsenishvili

Giorgi Arsenisvhvili served as Minister of State of Georgia from 2000 to 2001.-Career:Before entering politics, Arsenishvili was a member of the faculty at his alma mater, Tbilisi State University. Following his time as Minister of State, he as served as Ambassador to Austria, Hungary, Slovenia,...

. He was elected the leader of Christian-Democratic Union of Georgia in November 2002.

Considered a close ally to Shevardnadze, he was appointed the head of the campaign for pro-presidential block Alliance for New Georgia in the Georgian presidential election campaign.

He has a PhD in Economics and is currently a professor at Tbilisi State University.