Vazha Lortkipanidze

Vazha Lortkipanidze (; born 29 November 1949) is a Georgian politician, former State Minister of Georgia and Ambassador of Georgia to Russia, member of the Parliament of Georgia, Professor and a true member of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia.

Early years Lortkipanidze was born on 29 November 1949 in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 1973, he graduated from Mathematics Department of Tbilisi State University and Moscow Academy of Sciences with bachelor's and then doctoral degrees.

In 1983–1986, he was second and then first secretary of Central Committee of Georgian Komsomol during Eduard Shevardnadze's tenure as the First Secretary of Georgian SSR. In 1986–1988, he was the First Secretary of Mtatsminda Regional Committee of Communist Party of Georgia and then worked as the head of department in the CC of Communist Party of Georgia and in 1989–1990 as Deputy Chairman of Cabinet of Ministers of Georgia. From 1995 through 1998, he was the Ambassador of Georgia to Russia. His additional duties were representing the Georgian side in the Russian-mediated negotiations with Abkhazia. but at home he was considered pro-Russian by the opposition parties. He was elected the leader of Christian-Democratic Union of Georgia in November 2002.

Considered a close ally to Shevardnadze, he was appointed the head of the campaign for pro-presidential block Alliance for New Georgia in the Georgian presidential election campaign.

He has a PhD in Economics and is currently a professor at Tbilisi State University. He married Irine Khomeriki in 1983 and they have two children: Nino (1984) and Ana (1993).