The Georgian Foreign Ministry announced on November 29 about dozen of new ambassadorial nominations, which will have to be approved by the Parliament.  

Teimuraz Sharashenidze, Georgia’s consul to Istanbul, has been nominated as ambassador to Azerbaijan – post which has been vacant for over ten months already. Georgia’s former ambassador in Baku served on the post only for two months before resigning in January, 2010 for the reasons, which have never been made public.

In April, 2010 the Georgian Parliament approved on the ambassadorial post to Azerbaijan a ruling party lawmaker Irakli Kavtaradze, a deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee for foreign relations. He, however, has not taken the post; it was reported in the Georgian and Azerbaijani press that Baku refused to accept the Georgian ambassador-designate. But the official explanation by Tbilisi was that although MP Kavtaradze was approved on the post by the legislative body, later the decision was revised and decided to keep Kavtaradze in the Parliament.
 
In other changes in the diplomatic corps, Tengiz Sharmanashvili, the secretary of the state constitutional commission and member of the National-Democratic Party, has been nominated as the Georgian ambassador to Armenia. He will replace Grigol Tabatadze, who held this position since June 2009. 

Zurab Tchiaberashvili, Georgia’s permanent representative to the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe (CoE), will be replaced by his deputy Mamuka Zhgenti; Tchiaberashvili is slated to become ambassador to Switzerland, replacing Giorgi Gorgiladze, who has been nominated for the post of ambassador to Portugal.

Georgian ambassador to Poland Kote Kavtaradze will become Georgia’s ambassador to Sweden, replacing Amiran Kavadze.

Nikoloz Nikolozishvili, head of Georgian diplomatic mission in Slovakia and Slovenia, will become Georgia’s ambassador to Poland.

Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Nalbandov has been nominated as ambassador to Slovakia and Slovenia.

Archil Dzuliashvili, who served as Georgia’s consul in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, will become Georgian ambassador to Egypt and Syria, replacing Gocha Japaridze, who served on this position since March 2009.

Otar Berdzenishvili, head of the department for the Americas at the Foreign Ministry, has been nominated as Georgian ambassador to Brazil and Malkhaz Mikeladze has been nominated as Georgian ambassador to Mexico.