Minister of Economic Development Lasha Zhvania of Georgia

Zhvania was elected to the Parliament on May 21, 2008.

Lasha Zhvania was born and raised in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR.

Apart from numerous high-profile government positions Zhvania has been actively involved in various educational Programmes attending the CPDS - Courses for Political and Diplomatic Studies in UK's Leeds University, in 1995, and Refugee and IDP International Law Programme at Birmingham University in UK, in 1998.

Lasha Zhvania said this week in a special interview with Ynet.

Zhvania was appointed ambassador to Israel in 2005 after serving as deputy foreign minister.

Ambassador Zhvania said that during his term "the friendship between Israel and Georgia was strengthened," adding that ties between the countries were specifically bolstered in fields of trade, communications and investments.

Questions of Territorial Integrity of Georgia, Russian aggression against sovereign state and improvement of mutual relations between Georgia and Poland were the main topics of the meeting of the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee On Foreign Relations, Lasha Zhvania and the Members of the Group of Friendship with Georgia of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland.

Chairman of Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament Lasha Zhvania met the members of the Latvian Parliament Sandra Kalniete and Karlis Sadurskis.

Text of report by private Georgian Imedi TV on 9 December Surprises, a show and inappropriate changes - such assessments of today's cabinet reshuffle have been heard in parliament.

The ruling party takes issue with that however, with one MP noting that Lasha Zhvania has extensive experience in dealing with investors and Davit Sikharulidze formerly worked at the Defence Ministry.

But Zhvania is particularly proud of taking the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to Georgia and familiarizing them with the Georgian Jewish community - which numbers 8,000 - out of the country's population of 5 million.

Zhvania says that Jews have generally fared well in Georgia, because Israel and the Jews are an example for Georgians.

Zhvania is referring to the 40,000 policemen who were dismissed in one single day from the police force, which he calls "corrupt.

Zhvania is convinced that the recent demonstrations in Tbilisi were in part initiated by the neighboring superpower.

When asked whether such remarks don't reak of revolutionary euphoria and are a sign of the young leaders' political-diplomatic inexperience, Zhvania is silent, then laughs and only afterward answers: "No one's perfect.

Zhvania is convinced that the old Soviet Union is not dead.

Georgian Economic Development Minister Lasha Zhvania says that leaving of LLC OrtachalHES-2007 (hydroelectric station) in the state ownership is losing for the budget and that is why it was decided to privatize it.

Ambassador Lasha Zhvania is a senior Georgian official.

Lasha Zhvania is experienced diplomat; he has wide experience of working with the investors, that is important against the background, while World financial crisis enters new phase.

First deputy finance minister Lasha Zhvania has pledged that two consignments of Jehovah's Witness literature seized by customs in the Black Sea port of Poti in March and April will be released as soon as customs procedures are complete.

Zhvania says that the participation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the conference will not be countenanced, as it is impossible for Abkhazia and South Ossetia to take part in discussions about international relations.

Zhvania said that if Patarkatsishvili did not appear for questioning within three days of the formal request for his appearance being issued by the prosecutor-general, his government would ask friendly countries for their assistance in the matter.