Tedo Japaridze ( ka, თედო ჯაფარიძე) (born September 18, 1946) is a Georgian politician and diplomat. Japaridze was born in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

, capital of Georgia (then the

Georgian SSR The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Georgia, the Georgian SSR, or simply Georgia, was one of the republics of the Soviet Union from its second occupation (by the Red Army) in 1921 to its independence in 1991. Cotermin ...

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

). He graduated from the Department of Western European Languages and Literature at

Tbilisi State University Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University ( ka, ივანე ჯავახიშვილის სახელობის თბილისის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი, tr; often shorten ...

in 1971 and worked there until 1974. He then studied and worked at the Institute for the USA and Canada Studies of the Soviet Union Academy of Sciences from 1974 to 1989. Returning to Georgia, he then worked for the Foreign Ministry of Georgia and was appointed as Deputy Foreign Minister in August 1991. He served as Deputy Chair of the National Security Council from November 1992 to June 1994, and as Ambassador of Georgia to the United States, Canada and Mexico from July 1994 to March 2002. From March 13, 2002 to November 30, 2003, he chaired the National Security Council of Georgia. After the bloodless

Rose Revolution The Rose Revolution or Revolution of Roses ( ka, ვარდების რევოლუცია, tr) was a nonviolent change of power that occurred in Georgia in November 2003. The event was brought about by widespread protests over the ...

, which brought

Eduard Shevardnadze Eduard Ambrosis dze Shevardnadze ( ka, ედუარდ ამბროსის ძე შევარდნაძე; 25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Soviet and Georgian politician and diplomat who governed Georgia (country), Georgi ...

's presidency to an end, Japaridze served as a foreign minister in the new government from November 30, 2003, to March 18, 2004. After leaving the government service, he was secretary-general of the

Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation The Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) is a regional international organization focusing on multilateral political and economic initiatives aimed at fostering cooperation, peace, stability and prosperity in the Black Sea ...

(BSEC) from November 2004 to April 2005 and president of the U.S.-Caucasus Institute in Tbilisi. In 2006, he worked as a public policy scholar for

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) or Wilson Center is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topi ...

. In 2011, Japaridze was dismissed from the Georgian diplomatic service. After this he joined the ranks of the opposition

Georgian Dream Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia (GD), also colloquially known as the Kotsebi, is a Conservatism, conservative and populism, populist List of political parties in Georgia (country), political party in Georgia (country), Georgia, which has ...

party, founded by the tycoon

Bidzina Ivanishvili Bidzina Ivanishvili (; born 18 February 1956), also known as Boris Grigoryevich Ivanishvili, is a French-Georgian businessman, politician and billionaire oligarch. He is founder and the leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party and has ruled G ...

. He was elected to the

Parliament of Georgia The Parliament of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პარლამენტი, tr) is the supreme national legislature of Georgia. It is a unicameral parliament, currently consisting of 150 members elected through fully pr ...

on the Georgian Dream ticket in the October 1, 2012 election and became the chairman of the parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs on October 21, 2012.Parliamentary Committees Chairpersons Elected
Civil Georgia. October 21, 2012.

References

External links

— Interview of Tedo JAPARIDZE for ''Caucasian Journal'', 07.07.2023.
Incoming Georgia National Security Official "Knows the American Thinking": A Q&A with Tedo Japaridze, Georgia's New National Security Council secretary
''EurasiaNet''. August 8, 2002. 1946 births Living people Diplomats from Tbilisi Georgian Dream politicians Politicians from Tbilisi Government ministers of Georgia (country) Members of the Parliament of Georgia Ministers of foreign affairs of Georgia Ambassadors of Georgia (country) to the United States Ambassadors of Georgia (country) to Mexico Ambassadors of Georgia (country) to Canada {{Georgia-politician-stub