Paata zakareishvili biography of rory

Paata Zakareishvili is an unlikely person to be thrown on the front line of high powered international diplomacy. A long time civil society activist with an impeccable record of support for human rights and initiatives for peace Zakareishvili stands out amongst the lawyers, footballers and former Komsomol boys in the cabinet of Prime Minister Bidhzina Ivanishvili.

His task is however not easy, for the issues of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are no longer a localised internal problem but have since August 2008 become prominent in global diplomacy.

Speaking to Marion Kipiani in a wide ranging interview for our new quarterly publication, CommonspaceEXTRA Zakareshvili emphasizes continuity in the objectives of the Georgian government, but highlights important changes to the approach for achieving them.