Which Soviet Foreign Minister (1985-1990) and later leader of independent Georgia (1992-2003) oversaw the withdrawal from Afghanistan and signed key arms control treaties?

• A. Mikhail Gorbachev
• B. Eduard Shevardnadze
• C. Konstantin Chernenko
• D. Boris Yeltsin

Answer: (B)

Eduard Shevardnadze, who was Soviet Foreign Minister from 1985 to 1990, sits at the center of this question. In that role he steered much of the late 1980s diplomacy, including pushing for an end to the Soviet military involvement in Afghanistan, with the withdrawal completed by 1989. He was also a key figure in arms control talks that produced major agreements reducing Cold War tensions, such as the INF Treaty concluded in 1987. After the USSR dissolved, he became the leader of independent Georgia, serving as its president from 1992 to 2003 and guiding the country through its post-Soviet transition. This combination of high‑level foreign policy leadership and later national leadership in Georgia is why Eduard Shevardnadze is the correct answer.