Édouard Herriot

Herriot, Édouard (5 July 1872, Troyes – 26 March 1957, Paris), was a French political and statesman, as well as a publicist. One of the leaders of the Radical-Socialist Party. At various times, he served as a member of the French Cabinet, a minister, the prime minister, a deputy and the president of the National Assembly (Parliament). From 1946, he was a member of the French Academy of Sciences and in 1955 became a winner of the International Peace Prize.

Herriot made a great contribution to the international recognition of the Democratic Republic of Georgia and, after its annexation by Russia in 1921, to the struggle for the restoration of its independence.

In 1922, during his speech before the French Chamber of Deputies, Herriot stated: “The sovereignty of Georgia was recognized by the Allied Powers (referring to the countries of the Entente); it was also recognized by Russia through a clearly defined treaty (the Treaty of May 7, 1920 between the Democratic Republic of Georgia and Soviet Russia). I ask the head of the government to kindly inform us that his government supports this independence.”

With the consent and support of Prime Minister R. Poincaré, the Chamber of Deputies adopted an appropriate resolution on this issue.

Herriot, along with Poincaré, played a significant role in preserving the official representation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in Paris, which retained its status as an embassy until 1934. He maintained close relationships with several prominent figures of the Georgian political emigration.

L. Urushadze