Alexander Kartozia, Georgia’s ambassador to Germany, presented his credentials to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on July 23, nearly 10 months after being appointed to the post in October 2025. “During the official ceremony, the two sides highlighted the particular importance of the long-standing friendship and partnership between Georgia and Germany,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said. Kartozia, 67, served as Georgia’s education minister under President Eduard Shevardnadze from 1998 to 2004. Specifically, the Georgian Foreign Ministry asked Germany to replace Salome Zourabichvili with Mikheil Kavelashvili and update the name of Georgia’s foreign minister from Ilia Darchiashvili to Maka Botchorishvili. Kavelashvili’s election as president by a Georgian Dream-dominated electoral college and Botchorishvili’s appointment as foreign minister followed the widely disputed parliamentary elections.