PM names Georgia’s new Infrastructure Minister

UPDATED 3.40pm: 

Georgia's Prime Minister has named the new candidate who will take up the role of Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure. Deputy Minister Nodar Javakhshvili will be the new Minister of Georgia’s Regional Development and Infrastructure. 

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced this news today for Georgian media while commenting on the resignation of David Shavliashvili from his post.

An experienced finance expert, 61-year-old Javakhishvili worked from 2011 to 2014 as head of the Cartu Group, owned by Georgia’s former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. 

Earlier, from 1993 to 1998, Javakhishvili worked as the president of the National Bank of Georgia. He was also a Member of Parliament and head of the Finance Committee from 1999 to 2004. He is married with two children.

EARLIER 2pm: 

The Minster of Regional Development and Infrastructure has resigned after having the post for less than a year. According to information published on the Ministry’s website, Shavliashvili submitted his resignation letter to Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili today.

"The decision was caused by Minister Davit Shavliashvili’s worsening health condition,” the Ministry’s statement read.

No other details about the Minister’s resignation or his health have been revealed.

Shavliashvili, now 31, was named by Garibashvili as the country’s Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure after a major reshuffle in the Georgian Government in July 2014.

He was the youngest among the new ministers who were introduced in July.

This new role was not completely foreign to Shavliashvili, who until then held the position of the chairman of the Roads Department in the Ministry of Infrastructure. Before this he had another job within the Government as head of the Natural Resources Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. He held this role from 2012 to 2013.

The outgoing Minister gained his education in the legal field and gained a Bachelor Degree from the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Faculty of Law.

From 2008 he worked in leading positions at commercial companies.