New network connects Georgian diaspora

They may be separated by land and sea but Georgian natives living abroad will soon be able to connect with each other.

The Prime Minister of Georgia today announced a new global network had been created to connect Georgian diaspora living all over the globe.

The network will be called Tanamemamule.ge, said PM Garibashvili at the opening of the Georgian Diaspora Days 2014 Conference.

"I want to greet our compatriots living abroad. Today we once again express our respect and love towards them – the ones who live far away from Georgia but are an integral part of the country,” Garibashvili said in his welcoming speech.

"We created a new strategy [to connect] diaspora. For the purpose of encouraging communication and by using modern technology, a new global network of compatriots has been created, through which collecting accurate data will be possible.

"In addition, an online school has been created within this project. This will give our compatriots the possibility to study Georgian language and literature over the internet,” he said.

The Prime Minister said Georgian’s living abroad were the "greatest potential for Georgia” as they could contribute greatly to the development of the country by sharing and using their skills and best experience in business and public sectors.

He said Georgian diaspora should always feel the support of the state and the Government was working in this direction. One way to do this was to offer financial benefits to Georgians living abroad who wanted to invest in the country, Garibashvili said.

He believed the country should use the potential of Georgian diaspora effectively, and assigned the Government’s economic team to "immediately begin working on my initiative, which implied granting financial benefits in terms of investment for Georgian diaspora,” he said.

In recent years the Government had offered assistance to diaspora organisations abroad. Garibashvili said 400 000 GEL had been allocated from the Government reserve fund last year to this cause.

The event opening ceremony was attended by various members of the Government, including the State Minister for Diaspora Issues Kote Surguladze, State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alex Petriashvili and Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili.

Usupashvili said each Georgian living abroad was an ambassador of the country and a government was defined by the attitude towards its citizens living abroad.

"One of the most obvious indicators whether a government is good or bad is the attitude it has towards its citizens, especially the ones that live in other countries,” he said.

The Georgian Diaspora Days are being held at the Sheraton Metekhi Palace Hotel, Tbilisi, and will continue for the next three days