Givi Mikanadze to the journalist: You are laughable and pathetic. Irakli Kobakhidze didn’t lie; he said I am a doctoral student at the Free University of Amsterdam - My resume states "candidate," and that can be interpreted as a conferred academic degree

The Minister of Education, Science, and Youth, Givi Mikanadze, stated that he has not defended a doctoral degree at the Free University of Amsterdam.

As he told journalists, all his CVs indicate that he is a doctoral candidate, not a holder of a doctoral degree.

Additionally, he emphasized that when he was nominated as Minister of Education, he did not lie to the Prime Minister about his education.

“You’re really ridiculous, truly ridiculous, and so pathetic. What diploma are you talking about? Doctoral candidate... You can read this in any of my CVs. You’re so ridiculous. How pathetic are you? Irakli Kobakhidze didn’t lie about anything. Irakli Kobakhidze said that I am a doctoral candidate at the Free University of Amsterdam. Do you know how pathetic you are? You’re truly laughable!” Mikanadze stated.

When asked whether he has defended a doctoral degree, he responded, “I haven’t.”

“Do I plan to continue my studies? Do you think I have the time? I’m very busy. Unlike you idle people who focus on such nonsense... It’s very awkward... You cannot show me a single biographical CV where it says I have a defended degree. Irakli Kobakhidze didn’t lie. It says candidate, and a candidate might be perceived, so to speak, as having defended. This is a very technical matter. If you’re casting doubt on my education, that’s your issue. Why don’t you ask about the master’s degree I defended at the University of Essex? You’re making something out of nothing. Ask yourselves, what are you feeding your small audience with?!” Mikanadze stated.

For reference, when nominating Givi Mikanadze as Minister of Education, Irakli Kobakhidze noted that he “has a doctoral dissertation at the Free University of Amsterdam.” It later became known that Givi Mikanadze has not defended a doctoral degree at the Free University of Amsterdam. Regarding his biographical details, the information published on the official website of the Ministry of Education does not mention his studies at the Free University of Amsterdam. It only states that in 2013, he was a researcher at the Free University of Amsterdam and the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (Netherlands).