Georgian PM fires 7 ministers in first cabinet reshuffleJuly 21, 2014 - 14:31 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili fired five ministers on Monday and moved two to other ministerial positions in the first cabinet reshuffle since coming to power two years ago, Reuters rpeorted. None of the major positions changed hands. The coalition government, initially headed by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, came to power in 2012, when his Georgian Dream group defeated a party of former president Mikheil Saakashvili. In November, when Georgian Dream's Georgy Margvelashvili was elected president, Ivanishvili stepped down for his ally Garibashvili to take over the more powerful role of Prime Minister. Garibashvili said the reshuffle, which did not affect key ministers, was needed to give a new energy to the government and to increase its efficiency. "We need to double our energy, motivation and efficiency in order to deliver with all of the promises pledged by the Georgian Dream," Garibashvili said in a statement. "I think we should move to another mode, more pace is needed as we are facing new challenges." Garibashvili said that prison system minister Sozar Subari had been named for the post of the minister for internally displaced persons and accommodation, replacing David Darakhvelidze. Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Elguja Khokrishvili will become the Minister of Environment Protection, replacing Khatuna Gogaladze. The government reshuffle will require for the entire cabinet to win confidence vote from the parliament. Photo: EU Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |