Alexander Khetaguri, who has served as Energy Minister since 2007, was appointed as new Finance Minister, replacing Dimitri Gvindadze, PM Vano Merabishvili announced on Monday.

A ruling party lawmaker Vakhtang Balavadze will replace Khetaguri on the post of Energy Minister, he said. Balavadze is currently a chairman of parliamentary committee for regional policy, self-governance and mountainous regions.

This is the first change in the cabinet since new government led by Merabishvili was confirmed by the Parliament in early July. These recent changes involving finance and energy ministers do not require parliamentary approval.

PM Merabishvili said that Dimitri Gvindadze, who held the finance minister’s post since June, 2011, would be appointed on “a new, very interesting post”, which he did not specify; he said he would make an announcement about Gvindadze’s new post in two days.