Former Economy Minister Kobulia Says He Was Dismissed

Former Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Giorgi Kobulia, who was replaced by his First Deputy Natia Turnava on April 18, says that his resignation was not his decision and that he was dismissed.

“Resignation is when you write a statement that you are quitting, but I did not do so, which is why I say that I was dismissed,” he told Forbes Georgia.

The ex-Minister explained that the main reason for his dismissal was a difference in views with the governmental team.

“From the very beginning, I felt our visions were dissimilar…I was asked to quit but I refused because I was hoping I would manage to convince the government that my views were correct, but as you see, I was unable to do so,” he noted.

He stated that he had consulted Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze and then founder and chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

“I don’t want to go into detail, but in general there were some issues which were more political than oriented on results. I was against such decisions and did not make them,” he explained.

Kobulia said he could not share views which were “damaging,” or which failed to bring economic profit to the country, but he was unable to push his ideas because he didn’t have enough support from the ruling team.

Regarding the PM’s comment about Kobulia’s resignation, where he mentioned the “slow pace” of decision-making and the need for a better “operational manner,” the ex-minister says it came as a surprise for him.

“The slow pace of making correct decisions was one of the reasons for [my] conflict [with them]; I wanted to make the right decisions quickly, but I didn’t have enough support,” he stressed.

Kobulia also said he should have thought more carefully before accepting the Minister’s post in July 2018.

“I should have learnt more about the ‘rules of the game’ and then decided if I agreed with them or not,” he said.

The former Minister said he “did his best” during his term in the cabinet, adding that if Parliament wishes, he will present them a report of his activities.

Kobulia added that he is as yet undecided which sector he will continue working in – politics or economics.

“I will make this decision later, but I think it will be economics. I would like to thank all the people I worked with during my eight months in the ministry. It was a great experience for me,” he said.

Kobulia’s former deputy and current Minister, Natia Turnava, said she is now well-aware of the details the ex-Minister spoke of.

“The tasks that we were given, including from the Prime Minister, were that the pace needed stepping up and I had no problem with that. The rest of the details were not known to me,” she said.

Turnava said the PM noted that those who cannot “keep up with the team, will no longer be part of it.”

“It is simple: every project should be completed on time and there should be no delays or late decisions,” she added.

Giorgi Kobulia was appointed as the Minister of Economy on July 12, 2018 and was dismissed on April 18, 2019.

By Thea Morrison

Image source: ipress.ge