The head of the administration of the President of Georgia resigned after the Chinese vice president’s visit — what went wrong
Kyiv • UNN
Luka Ekhvaia left his position two months after his appointment. The reason may have been a breach of diplomatic protocol during Han Zheng’s visit.
The head of the administration of the President of Georgia, Luka Ekhvaia, left his post two months after his appointment: according to the Georgian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the personnel decision may have been prompted by a breach of diplomatic protocol during the official visit to Tbilisi by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, reports UNN.
Details
The information about Ekhvaia’s dismissal was confirmed by the presidential administration itself. At the same time, it has not been officially specified whether the official resigned of his own accord or was dismissed. Ekhvaia himself and representatives of the presidential office did not respond to additional inquiries from journalists.
As reported by "Georgia News", Han Zheng arrived in Georgia on an official visit on November 6. In the 35 years of diplomatic relations between Tbilisi and Beijing, no Chinese official of such a high rank had ever visited Georgia before. He was met at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, and the visit’s programme included talks with President Mikheil Kavelashvili and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. The visit concluded on November 8.
On November 6, the Chinese delegation was personally greeted outside the presidential palace on Atoneli Street by Ekhvaia, rather than by Kavelashvili. The President of Georgia met the guest inside the building. This is confirmed by photographs released by the administration’s press service. What happened may be regarded as a gross violation of the established diplomatic hierarchy, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sources believe.
There is currently no independent confirmation of these details.
At the same time as Ekhvaia, the head of the public relations department of the administration of the President of Georgia, Tamta Iashagashvili, also left her post. It is unclear whether their dismissals are related.
In addition
Kavelashvili appointed Luka Ekhvaia head of his administration on September 14, 2026. Before that, he served as the president’s adviser on international affairs.
Ekhvaia gained widespread popularity as the author of a political blog and host of the YouTube channel "Foucault’s Pendulum", where he consistently criticized Georgia’s traditional Euro-Atlantic course and advocated a more multi-vector foreign policy. For example, he called the suspension of the strategic partnership between Tbilisi and Washington "a major step on the path to decolonization" and also expressed support for Georgia’s participation in the regional consultative platform "3+3" (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey).