New Chief of Staff of National Security Council Appointed

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili appointed today Givi Tumanishvili, 46, as the new Chief of Staff of the National Security Council. 

Tumanishvili had since 2019 served as the Chief of Analytical Directorate of the Georgian Intelligence Service. Prior to that he held several posts at the Military Intelligence Department of the Georgian Defense Forces.

The Chief of Staff’s post had remained vacant since February 2021, after its previous holder Kakhaber Kemoklidze took on a new post, briefly serving as the Head of Government Administration.

In the meantime, Sergo Turmanidze, Head of the NSC’s Internal and External Security Affairs Department, had served as the acting Chief of Staff.

The National Security Council is an eight-member advisory body chaired by the Georgian Prime Minister, with Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri serving as its Secretary.

The body was established in April 2019, soon after Georgia’s new constitution entered into force and abolished the previous, President-led National Security Council. The rest of the permanent members are Defense, Foreign and Finance Ministers, Heads of the State Security and Intelligence Services and the Chief of Georgian Armed Forces. 

The Council also has a “politically-neutral” permanent staff, responsible for informational, analytical and organizational activities of the NSC, as part of the Government administration.

Also Read:

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)