Georgia’s PM: We want Georgian diaspora to return home

Georgia’s Prime Minister has made a plea to all Georgians living abroad to return home and help participate in the country’s development.

At the country’s first professional forum for Georgian diaspora today, titled ‘Share Experience to the Homeland’, PM Irakli Garibashvili said the Government was doing its best to mitigate issues such as unemployment and poverty to make conditions right in the country so Georgian emigrants would return home and use their skills here.

Today’s forum was hosted by the Office of the State Minister of Georgia for Diaspora Issues, attended by Government officials, the Patriarch of Georgia and invited guests, and focused on Georgia’s reforms, resources and migration-related problems. It was held at the Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University today, which also marked the Day of Georgian Diaspora.

When the Prime Minister addressed the audience he made a plea to all Georgian emigrants and said his Government was doing its best to make conditions right in Georgia so they would return to their homeland.

He said Georgians were "exceptionally talented” people and it was a huge tragedy for the country that more than a million citizens had decided to live abroad while only 3.7 million remained in Georgia.

Government officials, the Patriarch of Georgia and invited guests attended to the first professional forum for Georgian diaspora today.

He said a million Georgians living abroad was a significant number and the country needed Georgian diaspora to support Georgia’s development from wherever in the world they were. Without diaspora’s support, all the achievements and progress of the country "lost its value”.

It is very difficult for me to understand why people don’t come back to their homeland for years. I know they have financial problems but every day is special and crucial for our country. Our country's future is in our hands. It is a great responsibility to being the leader of the country, which has a unique culture, history, but do not forget the responsibility of citizens. The Government is unable to do something without the support and engagement of our citizens; they are the main source of power,” Garibashvili said.

The PM believed current economic problems such as low wages and low job security, unemployment and poverty were some of the reasons why Georgian emigrants chose not to not return home.

Ineffective use of our resources is the main problem of our country. Special research was carried out to study the potential of Georgia’s regions and it was discovered that we have huge potential we can use. I can tell you that Georgia should not be a poor country, our citizens should not suffer poverty,” Garibashvili said.

Meanwhile the recently established International Education Centre (IEC) was also a part of Garibashvili’s speech. The Centre, which he initiated last year, funded the studies of Masters and Doctoral programs for 77 young Georgian students in world leading universities in 2014. This year the Centre planned to finance the studies of 115 students.

Garibashvili emphasized the most important component of the IEC was a clause that obliged funding recipients to return home after their studies for a minimum of three years and contribute their new knowledge to the local market. He said this would develop the students’ civic responsibility towards the state.

At the end of his speech Garibashvili called on all Georgian living abroad to return home and "get involved” in the development process of the country.

We are extremely interested to motivate emigrants to return home. This is my dream and main goal,” he said.

After Garibashvili, Georgia’s Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II addressed the forum participants.

Before we say what emigrants should do for their homeland, first we must think about what Georgia does for them. We must do everything to strengthen their national identity. I wish you to return to Georgia soon. There is plenty of work for you here. You must do this work, not others,” the Patriarch said.

Additionally, within the event the Office of the State Minister of Georgia for Diaspora Issues signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) with Tbilisi State University (TSU), the World Bank and the International Diaspora Engagement Alliance.

The MoU between the Ministry and TSU highlighted mutual cooperation regarding educational issues, which includes planning and sharing of ideas about Diaspora issues; the MoU between the Ministry and the World Bank highlighted special projects which will be targeted for emigrants; and the MoU with the International Diaspora Engagement Alliance emphasized regional partnership in the Eastern Europe region.