Former Georgian Ambassador brings diplomatic, national security expertise to Center for Technology, Security, and Policy

Former Georgian Ambassador Tedo Japaridze has joined the Virginia Tech Center for Technology, Security, and Policy as an affiliate to support the center’s ongoing counter smuggling projects in the Black Sea region.

“We are pleased to welcome Ambassador Japaridze to the center. His 35 years of experience in international affairs and national security policy will strengthen our continuing research and outreach efforts in the Black Sea region,” said Bruce Lawlor, Center for Technology, Security, and Policy director in the National Capital Region.

A native of Tbilisi, Japaridze served multiple roles during his 14 years of service in the Georgian Foreign Ministry. These include positions as ambassador to the United States, Canada, and Mexico from 1994 to 2002, and later, as chairman of the National Security Council of Georgia. Currently, he is director general of the International Centre for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS) in Athens. Prior to joining the ICBSS in 2007, Japaridze served as secretary general of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), and president of the U.S.-Caucasus Institute in Tbilisi.

He holds a Ph.D. in political science and has authored various books and articles. In 2006, he earned an appointment as public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Japaridze is also associated with the Oxford-based Trilateral Group, the Kennan Institute of Washington, D.C., and the Le Cercle Group in London.

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