David Tevzadze
David Tevzadze | |
---|---|
Georgian Armed Forces | |
Battles/wars | War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) |
David Tevzadze (Georgian: დავით თევზაძე) (born 30 January 1949) is a retired Georgian lieutenant general who was the country’s Minister of Defense from April 1998 to February 2004.
Education and academic career
Born in
Early military career
With the declaration of Georgia’s independence from the
Minister of Defense
In April 1998, President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze dismissed Defense Minister Vardiko Nadibaidze, a career Soviet and Russian army officer, and replaced him with more Western-oriented Tevzadze. Amid persistent budgetary shortage and a series of attempted mutinies in the army, Tevzadze attempted to implement some reforms in the Georgian military with the declared aim to help transition “from old Soviet model to the modern forces, applicable to the international standards.”[3] He was pursuant to a pro-NATO line declared by Georgia in 1998 and rejected the post of deputy head of the Coordinating Staff of the CIS Armed Forces in 2001, saying he saw no point in multilateral military cooperation between CIS states.[4] It was during his tenure, that, in 2002, the United States launched a program of training for the selected Georgian military units (GTEP).[5]
Tevzadze tried to remain neutral during the tense days of “
In February 2004, Tevzadze was dismissed as Defense Minister and nominated by President Mikheil Saakashvili as an ambassador to NATO. At the same time, he faced a series of accusations of corruption. The Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Security launched a probe into the cases of alleged corruptions in the Defense Ministry and summoned Tevzadze who admitted to certain violations in the Ministry, but refrained from naming the officials accountable for these violations.[8] Tevzadze’s tenure as an ambassador proved to be short-lived, however, as his credentials were revoked in June 2004.[9] Tevzadze distanced himself from politics and engaged in scholarship and teaching.
Since 2004
On 5 May 2009 Tevzadze's name was mentioned in a video footage released by the Georgian police as an evidence of the planned disorders in Georgia, of which the failed
In October 2015, Tevzadze founded his own political party, Georgia for Peace (საქართველო მშვიდობისათვის), to take part in the scheduled October 2016
In 2022, Davit Tevzadze was appointed by President Salome Zourabichvili as her Military Affairs Adviser.
References
- RFE/RL. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ Personalities[permanent dead link]. The International Republican Institute-Georgia. Retrieved on February 10, 2009
- ^ Defence Ministry Issues the White Paper. Civil Georgia. July 5, 2002
- ^ Georgia turns down CIS defense post. CACI Analyst. August 31, 2001
- ^ Train-and-Equip Officially Launched. Civil Georgia. Mau 27, 2002
- ^ Protest Topples Georgia Leader. Los Angeles Times. November 24, 2003
- ^ Georgia minister shot at in Iraq. BBC News. January 16, 2004
- ^ Georgia’s Scarce Army Aspires NATO. Civil Georgia. February 17, 2004
- ^ Georgia Continues the Reshuffling of Diplomatic Corps. Civil Georgia. June 26, 2004
- ^ Former Commander of National Guard Arrested. Civil Georgia. May 5, 2009
- ^ "საქართველო მშვიდობისთვის" - დავით თევზაძის პარტია არჩევნებისთვის ემზადება (in Georgian). Rustavi 2.