Paata is a former theologist from Tbilisi and works as a politician today. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union he was engaging in the protection of human rights concerning religious issues. Since 1992 he has worked at the Humans Rights committee of the Georgian parliament. During the Georgian-Abkazh war, Paata was the head of commission for the exchange of POWs.

In the 1990s he was working in committees of the Parliament and was actively involved in civil initiatives for peaceful resolutions of conflicts. Paata has unique knowledge about the genesis of conflicts during the transition in Georgia in 1989-1991 and has experience in peace negotiations.