Nellie Shiolashvili

I am a Georgian career diplomat and have worked on various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia in Tbilisi, as well as in the frames of my diplomatic postings in Georgia’s representations in New York and London. Currently, I am the Head of Division for the EU-Georgia Policy Planning and Analysis; Eastern Partnership at the MFA. I highly appreciate the knowledge and experience received at the European Institute during my studies at LSE, and am determined to contribute to my country’s EU accession process with my academic and professional assets.

LSE with its high ranking and overall reputation was obviously one of my top choices when I started considering doing my second Masters while living and working in London. With my full-time job at the Embassy of Georgia my studies seemed beyond challenging, but with a healthy environment at both places, right guidance and my personal motivation everything worked out just fine.

EI gave me a comprehensive picture of the European Union with relevant theories, history of integration, evolution of decision-making and functioning of the EU institutions. The very diverse student community is another advantage of the EI that I would underline. Bringing all these different perspectives into play would make our discussions extremely thought provoking and fulfilling. I would call my time at LSE hectic, satisfying and enjoyable all in one.

With my current work as a Head of Division for EU-Georgia Policy Planning and Analysis at the MFA of Georgia, I feel like I’ve been thrown into the very practical dimension of what I’ve obtained and developed academically at the LSE. Being passionate about Georgia’s European future, I consider current geopolitical setting as much favourable for further advancing Georgia on its path towards EU membership and I am happy that I am in a position to contribute to this process.