Diaspora Forum 2016: PM thanks Georgian diaspora for supporting homeland

Georgia’s top two officials – the Prime Minister and President – have addressed the second Diaspora Forum in capital Tbilisi today, bringing together hundreds of Georgian immigrants living abroad.

This year’s theme of the event was ‘Share Your Experience with your Homeland’.

Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili thanked Georgian immigrants for continuing to support their motherland while living in foreign countries all over the world. 

Kvirikashvili also thanked Georgia’s Minister for Diaspora Issues Gela Dumbadze for his "beneficial initiatives” that supported Georgian diaspora. 

Expanding on this, PM Kvirikashvili spoke about the projects that supported Georgian diaspora to come home and start a business and earn a decent salary that allowed them to support themselves and their families.

The aim of the forum is to reveal all the possibilities and opportunities we have to encourage our citizens to come back to Georgia. We [the Government]  are obligated to make their return as easy as possible,” Kvirikashvili said. 

Georgia’s President praised Georgian diaspora for continuing to support their homeland. Photo by the President’s webpage. 

We are a small nation, we have no right to split and oppose each other. We all should unite around one big goal –to develop our country,” Kvirikashvili said. 

President Giorgi Margvelashvili said the word diaspora invoked pain and sorrow but it also offered big potential and opportunities. 

This year’s Diaspora Forum coincided with the 25th anniversary of Georgia’s independence from the Soviet Union. 

For the rest of the day Georgian diaspora representatives will take part in debates and discussions, speak out their initiatives and try to find the best ways of how problems facing Georgian diaspora can be settled.