Georgian PM sacks Defense Minister Alasania

Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili said late on Tuesday evening that he has dismissed Defense Minister Irakli Alasania, Civil Georgia reports.

Mindia Janelidze, who is a secretary of the state security and crisis management council at the PM’s office, will replace Alasania on the post of Defense Minister, the PM said.

Garibashvili’s announcement about firing of the Defense Minister came less than four hours after Alasania said that recent developments involving arrests of MoD and general staff officials, as well as newly filed charges against army medical officers are “obviously politically” motivated and represented an “attack on Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic choice.”

PM Garibashvili slammed Alasania’s remarks as “completely irresponsible” and said that Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration is “irreversible.”

“Violations revealed in the Ministry of Defense and related investigation have become a topic of active discussions in the public in recent days. Issue of procurements in the Ministry of Defense became topic of discussion of our government more than once over which ex-Defense Minister Alasania has been given censure and instructions. Despite of that investigative agencies have exposed whole set of violations and relevant legal reaction was made through launching criminal investigation. In recent days an obvious confrontation by the Defense Minister is being observed against the investigative agencies and there is an attempt to politicize the issue,” PM Garibashvili said.

State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Aleksi Petriashvili, a member of Alasania's Free Democrats Party, resigned following the defense minister's removal.