Ex-Minister of Economy Confirms Doubts that He Was Dismissed

Former minister of the Economy of Georgia, Giorgi Kobulia confirmed the rumors after his resignation that he was dismissed.

The ex-minister told Forbes Georgia that he was asked to write a statement of resignation, which he refused to do.

He added that the calls on resignation towards him were underway during the last month but he was resisting.

“Resignation is when you write a statement that you quit but I didn't do it, this is why I say that I was dismissed,” he admitted.

Kobulia noted that from the beginning he could feel the difference of the views between him and the governmental team.

He told Rustavi 2 that he was trying till the end to somehow convince the authorities that his views were beneficial for the country, but he failed to do so.

Ex-minister also commented on the two main reasons named by the Prime Minister, Mamuka Bakhtadze, about his replacement – Slow pace of making decisions and inefficient management of the ministry.

“One of the main reasons for the conflict was the fact that the decisions I made and which were aimed for the benefit of the country and the people were taking a long time. This slow pace was one of the main reasons for our disagreement,” he explained.

Kobulia stated that he does not want to go into details, adding some of the decisions he was asked to make, were more political than result-oriented, which was not acceptable for him.

“I do not regret when I accepted the offer and became the minister. I believe I managed to contribute somehow to the development of my country. I want to thank everyone I worked with during these months. This was a good experience for me,” he said.

The former minister also said that about the disagreement with the team, he had first consultations with the PM and then with the founder and chair of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Giorgi Kobulia stepped down on April 18 without making any official statement about the reason for the resignation.

The same day, it was announced by the PM Bakhtadze that Kobulia’s First Deputy Natia Turnava was appointed to the post.

Bakhtadze said that the decision of Kobulia’s resignation was made by him, after the consultations with the ex-minister.

“We need fast solutions now, making decisions in an operational manner that serves the interests of our society and entrepreneurs. I am convinced that Natia will succeed in fulfilling her obligations,” the PM said while presenting Turnava.

Kobulia served as the minister from July 12, 2018, to April 18, 2019.