In Georgia's 27 years of independence, the country has only had one female defense minister, Tina Khidasheli. Her tenure at the ministry was marked by several reform initiatives and a push to make the defense sector more open to the public. It also marked a change in Georgia's traditionally macho political environment, where just three out of 11 ministers are female and there are very few women in military leadership.  

While waves of construction booms have fundamentally changed the skylines of Georgia’s two largest cities—capital Tbilisi and seaside resort Batumi—the ancient town of Kutaisi had been largely untouched. Until now.