GEORGIA STRIKED AN ATTITUDE.
Did Saakashvili appointed baker-girl to the Minister of Economic
Affairs post because of her spectacular striptease performance?
28-year old Vera (according to other
sources Veronica) has gone an eventful distance for her short lifetime.
Having been born in Sukhumi, she used to live in Canada for
a long time —her family immigrated from Abkhazia fleeing from the civil
war. It isn’t known for sure what she has been doing; there
is official version with a lot of disproving facts. But the
result is clear: having met with the President Saakashvili at the
Olympic Games in Vancouver as a member of local Georgian
diaspora, she swiftly left for Tbilisi and has been even more swiftly appointed
to the Minister of Economic Affairs and Sustainable Development
post.
28-year old Vera (according to other sources
Veronica) has gone an eventful distance for her short lifetime. Having
been born in Sukhumi, she used to live in Canada for a long
time —her family immigrated from Abkhazia fleeing from the civil war.
It isn’t known for sure what she has been doing; there is official
version with a lot of disproving facts. But the result is clear:
having met with the President Saakashvili at the Olympic Games
in Vancouver as a member of local Georgian diaspora, she
swiftly left for Tbilisi and has been even more swiftly appointed to the
Minister of Economic Affairs and Sustainable Development post.
Vera Kobalia has been saving Georgian economics — inevitably sinking
in the storm of crisis — since the 2nd of July, 2010. But
during such a short period of time this known to nobody
immigrant lady has accumulated quite a trail of big scandals. The
most famous one is connected with a photo from a strip-club
where the future member of Government fiercely danced
in a company of similar under-clad girls. Discrediting evidence
was found in a popular social network Facebook by observant
journalists. Kobalia said that it was "a photo from the college
days", and it was about 10 years old. But here is one more
problem: there is younger Vera’s sister on the photo, 23-year old
Nina. If she was 13 then, it would be nonsense:
a child can’t look this way. Therefore photo was made recently and main
figurant’s lie suggests the presence of even more interesting facts.
There are certain obscure spots in her resume. Woman’s career reminds
motley patchwork quilt including every sphere of knowledge. Giving
credence to her published biography, she started working in the
health care system, then suddenly took up for TV leisure software,
then in the same abrupt manner she switched to marketing. Afterwards
she went back to her native land and headed non-governmental organization
protecting the interests of forced immigrants, until she got promoted
to the Minister of Economic Affairs and Sustainable Development
of Georgia.
However Canadian newspaper "The Vancouver Sun" has found out that Kobalia, for
example, has never worked producer in local television company "Global
TV". None of channel’ employees were able to remember her name and
Petra Maner from the HR-department said that there is no person with
such name even in historical records.
For now, there’s one landmark on the career path of the present
Minister that we know for sure. She was employed by her father, who
started small enterprise after fleeing from Abkhazia and opened bakery.
In other words, she helped to sell bread and patties
in Vancouver. We can’t rule out the possibility that this eventually
substituted economic education for the future Saakashvili’ favorite. For now
well-being of Georgians may be referred to the level
of this education.
Speaking of favoritism, no one has any doubts of its presence
no more. All one need to do is to appraise Vera
Kobalia’ impressive and pleasing appearance and confront it with
well-known Michael Saakashvili’s thirst for risqué. However, Georgian leader
has never shot that mark to encourage his favorites. Nodar Javahishvili,
ex-president of the National Bank of Georgia, commented this
unprecedented appointment in a following way: "Just, think, how
ambitious should a person be, if he or she
is willing to chair the main economic department in the country,
having no respective education or any experience in this sphere.
I think, in every family you can find someone more experienced and
qualified in this area than Mrs. Kobalia. It is clear that yet
another President’s favorite came to Georgia, personified by the
new-fangled Minister this time."
And here are some bloggers’ comments: "Certain Georgian damsels make their way
up the job ladder through Saakashvili’s passion for women and their
demimondaine nature. And this is nothing new. Just like he used
to shoot porno in calf-time, now he continues to amuse
himself, being an agent on the CIA payroll. Why not, as long
as his masters don’t care about it?"
Information that is implied here is very interesting episode from
President’s past indeed. There are rumors that young Michael Saakashvili has
taken up distribution of obscene materials, and that was the reason,
why he was expelled from the Kiev University. This information was used
by Georgians opposition that has written a script for the
documentary. Shooting was organized in the Ukraine.
Temur Shashiashvili, leader of the Georgian opposition "Tetrebi", earlier
told about expelling young Saakashvili from the Komsomol during his student
years. Shashiashvili specified that Georgian President was expelled for the
pornography’ distribution, rather than due to his dissident views,
as Georgian leader claimed.
Opposition’ representative mentioned that extra details of this story will
be made public only when Ukrainian leaders would allow Kiev University’
administration to declassify Saakashvili’s personal record. However,
it is a known fact that was rehabilitated in the Komsomol
during his military service at the frontier troops. Later Michael
Saakashvili gained the right to go to the USA for studying.
He was helped out by his uncle, who held a post in the
U. N. O.
Meanwhile, Vera Kobalia was unable to ignore numerous publications devoted
to her person. Girl couldn’t do anything better than to express
usual accusations against Russia, which are quite traditional for Georgian
Government and do not require any particular intellectual efforts.
"I clearly understand that Russia, Russian leaders and many other don’t
want Georgian economics to develop — Kobalia said among the other
things. — They don’t want our country to become powerful. So,
if they think that they can stop me from doing my job
by spreading these canards and gossips — unfortunately for them, they
are quite wrong."
Bullying on Russia looks rather inappropriately this time. Russian
mass-media just reprinted those publications, which have appeared
in Canada and Georgia. And, yes, we agree, it is much
easier to make up irresponsible statements, than to bear
responsibility for tottering Georgian economy. And it’s also easier
to recklessly fire every single employee, who used to work
in her department earlier and who turned out to be "lucky"
enough to be under Presidential favorite’ authority.
(As it happened in case of Tourism Department, which
employees didn’t satisfy Kobalia). Kobalia managed to invent seminars for
allegedly illiterate Georgian businessmen with American business coaches.
"Georgia has been developing due to the American advice. Their
intervention into our business would give us nothing. If you want
to hear the truth, that were exactly them who drove us in debts
of approximately $8 billion. Americans’ advice proved
to be useless", — businessman Gogi Topadze said.
Time will show where Georgia and its economics are heading with a leader
like Vera Kobalia. Alas, everything we know about Minister of such
important sector smells fishy. Absurdity of this appointment actually
reminds us the case with Michael Saakashvili chewing his tie in front
of television cameras.
By Maxim Nemov
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