After the Soviet invasion of Georgia, he immigrated to France, where he became an official owner of the Leuville chateau, a residence of the Georgian government-in-exile.
Due to the sizable Armenian population of Tbilisi in 19th and 20th centuries, the office of mayor was chiefly occupied by the local Armenians, with the exception of several Georgian mayors, such as Dimitri Kipiani, Vasil Cherkezov and Benia Chkhikvishvili.