Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has appointed Natia Turnava as the new Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development. Previously, Turnava was the Deputy Minister of Economy. The former Minister, Giorgi Kobulia, has stepped down from his post.

On 19 April, Prime Minister Bakhtadze held a press conference to explain Kobulia’s resignation. Speaking to reporters, PM Bakhtadze said Kobulia, “an experienced economist and professional financier”, elaborated important development strategies for Georgia “which we will use in the future”. The Prime Minister stressed, however, that the Ministry of Economy necessitates quick and effective decision-making. “We need quick decisions that serve the interests of our society and our entrepreneurs,” he noted. Bakhtadze dismissed the media reports that Kobulia left the office on bad terms with the Prime Minister. He said the two met before the decision was announced and that “there were no problems regarding the situation.”

Bakhtadze also spoke about Turnava. He said that Turnava is “a high-level professional with serious experience” in the private and public sector, and that he is convinced “she will fullfill her responsibilities successfully.” The Prime Minister also underlined that Turnava has “a right understanding of the country’s socio-economic situation.”

Kobulia was appointed as the Minister of Economy on July 12, 2018 and held this position for 9 months. He was one of the three new Ministers nominated for Prime Minister Bakhtadze’s cabinet in 2018. He has not made any statements yet about leaving his ministerial post.

Opposition parties call on the government to give explanations about the reason for the minister’s resignation. The independent parliamentary member, Levan Gogichaishvili says that it should be made clear if Kobulia quit himself or if he was released. “I hope the PM will come to the parliament and give explanations about Kobulia’s resignation…Bakhtadze does not make such decisions. Maybe it was somebody’s order,” the MP said, allegedly referring to the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) founder and Chair, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Meanwhile, European Georgia says that exchanging Kobulia with Turnava does not change anything. “By replacing one minister with the other, there will be no real changes in politics and the country will still be ruled by Ivanishvili,” party MP, Irakli Abesadze said.

Natia Turnava graduated from Tbilisi State University's Economics Faculty in 1990 and has taken vocational training courses at Harvard and the International Monetary Fund. She did a joint master program at the University of Cambridge and the Robert Kennedy College in Zurich. Between 1994-1996 she worked as a researcher at the Institute of Democracy and Politics of Georgia. Between 1996-2000 she was the Deputy Head of the State Chancellery Service, Member of the Tbilisi Sakrebulo and Deputy Chairperson of the Finance Commission. Between 2000-2005 Turava was the First Deputy Minister of Economy and in 2005 she became the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council. From 2013 to 2018, she served as the Deputy Executive Director of a state-led partnership fund, she was a member of the Governing Board of the largest Georgian private industrial group (GIG) and the Executive Director of International Energy Corporation of Georgia.