Grigol Mgaloblishvili

Grigol Mgaloblishvili (Georgian: გრიგოლ მგალობლიშვილი, pronounced [ɡriɡɔl mɡalɔbliʃvili]; born 7 October 1973) is a Georgian politician and diplomat who has been Georgia's Permanent Representative to NATO since 26 June 2009. He briefly served as the Prime Minister of Georgia from 1 November 2008 to 6 February 2009.

Grigol Mgaloblishvili was born in Tbilisi, the capital of the then-Soviet Georgia, to the family of intelligentsia[1]. He graduated from Tbilisi State University, in 1995 with BA and MA degrees in Oriental Studies. Between 1992 and 1993, Mgaloblishvili spent a year at Istanbul University, obtaining a Certificate in Turkish Language. Mgaloblishvili's political career has been actively linked to the Republic of Turkey as he served as a Georgian diplomatic representative to the country from 1995 to 2002 on various positions, including as an interpreter, an attache, a First Secretary and a political counselor. Mgaloblishvili returned to Georgia, in 2003, to the position of the Deputy Director of the Department of USA, Canada and Latin American Countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. Prior to this, between 2002 and 2003, Mgaloblishvili was enrolled on the UK postgraduate course in Diplomatic Studies at Oxford University. In 2004, Mgaloblishvili was promoted within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to lead the Department of European Integration. In 2005 Grigol Mgaloblishvili was granted diplomatic rank of Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and on 20 October 2006, that of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.. He served as the Georgian Ambassador to Turkey until 27 October 2008 when President Mikheil Saakashvili proposed him for the position of the Prime Minister of Georgia to the Parliament of Georgia. He speaks English, Turkish, Russian and German.

Mgaloblishvili was approved as the Prime Minister on 1 November 2008. Mgaloblishvili implemented a minor reshuffle of the Cabinet, appointing Zurab Adeishvili as the Minister of Justice, Koba Subeliani as the Minister for Environment Protection and Grigol Vashadze was created the Minister of Culture and Cultural Heritage Preservation. Grigol Mgaloblishvili held his first public voyage on 3 November 2008, when he visited the Kakheti Region and conversed with the local agriculturers. The first sitting of Mgaloblishvili's new Cabinet took place on 5 November 2008. Further reshuffle in the cabinet was made on 8 December 2008, when the foreign, defense, and education ministers were replaced.

In late December 2008, Russian media widely picked up the report by Georgia's tabloid Alia claiming that an incident occurred between Mgaloblishvili and Saakashvili in which the latter allegedly punched Mgaloblishvili and threw a telephone into him. The story did not explain what provoked the president. Shortly afterwards, Mgaloblishvili left for Germany for medical examination. Returning to Georgia, responded to "hype and rumors" that was stirred by the press and described the Russian media reports as "ridiculous". President Saakashvili also responded to the rumors, saying that after Mgaloblishvili's return "Russian will calm down and focus more on global issues."

On 30 January 2009, during a press conference, Mgaloblishvili announced his resignation citing health problems and saying that he had suggested the President to consider nominating Nika Gilauri, the finance minister and first vice premier, for the prime minister's position.

On 26 June 2009, Mgaloblishvili was approved by the Parliament of Georgia as the country's Permanent Representative to NATO, succeeding on this post Revaz Beshidze.