Salome zourabichvili
- •
Remembering Eduard Shevardnadze
In 1999, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze confided to an American diplomat that the Kremlin had asked to use military bases in his country to attack Russia's rebellious region of Chechnya, on Georgia's northern border. Shevardnadze said that after careful thought, he declined. "The is the first time in two hundred years we have told the Russians no, and they will never forget it."
Shevardnadze came to international fame as Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's foreign minister from 1985 to 1991, and his partner in loosening the grip of Soviet rule through the glasnost (openness) and perestroika (rebuilding) campaigns.
Shevardnadze earned the enmity of hardliners in Moscow by helping Gorbachev let go of Warsaw Pact allies in Central and Eastern Europe, leading to the overthrow of all six communist regimes. He negotiated the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan, and the peaceful reunification of Germany.
Shevardnadze's public warning of an impending coup attempt by reform opponents went unheeded. In August 1991, it came, but failed. T
- •
Eduard Shevardnadze: Controversial legacy to Georgia
A well-known and respected figure in the West, he was seen at the time by many as the only person capable of leading Georgia out of the chaos that followed the overthrow of President Gamsakhurdia.
Although he was twice elected president, his popularity declined.
Unresolved conflicts in Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, economic hardship and high corruption fuelled public resentment towards him.
"Eduard Shevardnadze was born a politician. He was a talented man, with a very good sense of humour. But he was the son of his epoch, the Soviet epoch," argues Mr Rondeli.
This held him back from escaping the Soviet style of rule, he adds. And he was unable to tackle rampant corruption and introduce much-needed reform.
He also tried to steer a twin course of pro-Western policy while at the same time trying not to irritate Moscow.
"The Russian establishment hated him because they believed he contributed to the division of the Soviet Union and he was a bit unhappy with the West. I think
- •
Home - Search - Browse - Alphabetic Index: 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9
A- B- C- D- E- F- G- H- I- J- K- L- M- N- O- P- Q- R- S- T- U- V- W- X- Y- Z
Shevardnadze, Eduard A
Shevardnadze Credit: NASA |
Born: 1928-01-25. Died: 2014-07-07.
Eduard A. Shevardnadze was a reform leader of the Soviet Union along with Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s. He was heavily involved in the transformation of the nation from a communist state to one built on capitalism, and in a variety of senior positions negotiated with the United States for international cooperation in space, including the building of a space station in the 1990s.
Wikipedia: Eduard Shevardnadze (25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Georgian politician and diplomat. He served as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party (GPC), the de facto leader of Soviet Georgia from 1972 to 1985 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Copyright ©airtory.pages.dev 2025