Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s pick of 28-year-old Canadian-Georgian Vera Kobalia for the key post of minister of economy and sustainable development raised many questions about her qualifications, which did not seem to go beyond working at a family bakery in Vancouver. But Russian media, always game to rip on Saakashvili, argue that a nightclub photo, which reveals the playful side of the young minister, sheds more light on her credentials.
Russian news outlets seized on a Facebook photo of Kobalia, which portrays her posing suggestively with dancing show girls on a bar counter. After the photo surfaced, Russian-language websites erupted in headlines such as “Stripping Baker Becomes the Head of Georgian Economy Ministry."
The photo, which Kobalia says was taken some 10 years ago in Florida, sparked a happy banter on Facebook in Georgia, where many users said they were impressed by how the minister did her “field research.” Looking on the bright side, one commentator suggested that Kobalia seems well fit to bring much-needed foreign investment to Georgia.
Giorgi Lomsadze is a journalist based in Tbilisi, and author of Tamada Tales.
Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none.