Georgian parliament approves new government

Parliament of Georgia has approved the new government today. 

Mamuka Bakhtadze as Prime Minister and his cabinet of ministers approved by 99 votes against 6 in the 150-seat parliament.

The legislative body has also granted a vote of confidence to the 2018-2020 Freedom, Rapid Development, and Prosperity Government Program.

"In foreign policy, we will be consistent on the path of full integration into the European Union and will use all the existing mechanisms of cooperation to ensure a more systematic and transparent integration process with the European Union. We will fulfill the obligations under the Association Agreement at a rapid pace and will return to the European family,” PM Bakhtadze said adding that a full integration into NATO will be a crucial task of Georgia's foreign policy. 

David Zalkaliani as Foreign Minister, Giorgi Cherkezishvili as Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, and Nikoloz Gagua as Finance Minister are newcomers to the cabinet which took office immediately following the vote.

As announced by the new Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, the renewed cabinet serves as an interim government and he is going to name structurally and personally changed team in one month which will need to be approved by the parliament once again.

Bakhtadze, 36, previously served as Minister of Finance. Prior to entering government, he served as CEO of Georgian Railway (2013-2017). He holds an MBA Degree from the INSEAD Business School. He also received a PhD in Technical Sciences from Georgian Technical University.