Abandoned: 164 mountain villages in Georgia

Improving the population in some of Georgia’s abandoned mountain areas is the topic of discussion at a special conference at the Courtyard Marriot hotel today.

Politicians and Government members will take part in the so-called SOS Georgian Mountains conference and discuss ways to solve the problems evident in Georgia’s mountain regions.

The main topic of discussion is the severe economic and demographic problems in mountain areas of Georgia.

Organisers said latest data from 2002 revealed 164 villages in Georgia were deserted and 152 villages were barely inhabited, with ten families or less. Most of these villages are located in mountain areas.

The border area was almost entirely abandoned and has been described as a "critical situation”.

Head of the Supervisory Board of Demographic Revival Fund Levan Vasadze is set to deliver a speech at the conference. Event participants will then discuss a joint document aimed to increase population in stricken areas, which will be submitted to parliament as a draft law.

Before the beginning of the event, the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure David Narmania said that the special working group for solving existing problems in the mountain regions will be set up. Non-governmental organisation and independent experts, who have worked on mountain-related issues for years, will be included in the working group. The process will be monitored by Ministry of Regional development and Economy.

The conference has been organised by Demographic Revival Fund, the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Parliamentary Committee of Regional Politics and Self-government.

The last Georgian Census was conducted in 2002. The Government have already begun the first stage of 2014 Census and expect it to be completed by May.