Georgia’s President, Mikheil Kavelashvili, has awarded the Medal of Honour to Merab Gaprindashvili, Head of the Geology Department at the National Environment Agency (NEA), a legal entity of public law under the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.

The state decoration was conferred upon Merab Gaprindashvili in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of the Georgian state and his distinguished years of service.

President Kavelashvili expressed his gratitude to Gaprindashvili for his many years of dedicated work and extended his warmest wishes for continued success.

Alongside his principal professional duties spanning many years, Merab Gaprindashvili, as both manager and lead specialist, has participated in nearly twenty domestic and international projects. He has authored several hundred engineering-geological and engineering-geodynamic reports and assessments covering Georgia’s territory. Merab Gaprindashvili led the revitalisation of the state hydrogeological monitoring service, and the compilation of national geological maps, along with the resumption of several other geological programs of critical national importance. Additionally, monitoring of hazardous geological processes was launched using advanced, modern technologies. Gaprindashvili has published close to sixty scientific articles and monographs in both national journals and high-ranking international publications.

The ceremony at the Presidential Palace was attended by Georgia’s Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Davit Songhulashvili, the Head of the National Environment Agency, Elene Ghubianuri, and members of Merab Gaprindashvili’s family.