Government and Diplomatic Service
On April 19, 2004, Tchiaberashvili became Mayor of Tbilisi—the capital of Georgia—still an appointive office at that time, after President Mikheil Saakashvili dismissed Mayor Ivane Zodelava. He presided over the creation of a strategic plan to overcome problems with Tbilisi's urban infrastructure, including the water, sewage, electric, and public transportation systems. During his tenure, Tchiaberashvili was criticized by his former NGO colleagues for turning back from his original plans to decentralize the Tbilisi government.
On September 16, 2005, Tchiaberashvili was approved by the Parliament of Georgia as Georgia's permanent representative to the Council of Europe (CoE), a position which made him involved in diplomatic battles following the August 2008 Russian–Georgian war. On December 10, 2010, Tchiaberashvili was approved as ambassador to the Swiss Confederation and Principality of Liechtenstein, and Permanent Representative to the United Nations office and other international organizations in Geneva. In 2011, he was involved in the Swiss-mediated Russian–Georgian negotiations over Russia's ascension to World Trade Organization. On March 15, 2012, he was nominated as Georgia's Minister of Health, Labour and Social Affairs, and approved by the Parliament of Georgia on March 20, 2012. After the October 2012 parliamentary election, he was succeeded by David Sergeenko. Tchiaberashvili was instead moved by President Saakashvili to the position of governor of the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti.
Read more about this topic: Zurab Tchiaberashvili
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