Salome Zourabichvili: Investing in the Georgian economy is a sign of patriotism, but it’s also contributing to an economy that is both diverse and on the rise

President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili opened the Georgian Diaspora Economic Forum today, which was held for the first time this year under the patronage of the President of Georgia.

As InterPressNews was informed by the Presidential Administration, the forum, held in an online format, aims to share information about Georgia's business environment, investment potential, specific investment offers and programs for compatriots living abroad.

According to them, the role of the Georgian Diaspora in the process of economic development of Georgia and rapprochement with the international community was emphasized at the forum.

“It’s is my honour to host and open this forum. 100 years ago, following the tragedy that was the Soviet occupation of our free and democratic Georgia, many of the political, cultural, economic leaders of our society fled the tyranny in what became known as the political emigration of Georgia. Among them were my parents. Their exile was not a capitulation, it was an attempt at preserving the principles set out by the Constitution of Georgia and at fighting for our cause in the democratic world.

Their constant advocacy for Georgia created a strong and vibrant community in Europe that still remains active to this day.

100 years later, the Georgian diaspora is larger and involved in every sphere of society. There are authors, music composers, dancers, actors, doctors, businessmen and women, designers, scientists, teachers and students, sportsmen who are spread around the world but united around love for the homeland. You are all the ambassadors of our nation, as your names and success reflect on all of us.

Since the beginning of my presidency, I have made maintaining and growing our ties with our diaspora one of my key priorities. In every country I’ve visited, I held meetings with members of our diaspora and Georgian students abroad to see how we can make the bridge between emigration and homeland stronger. I’ve proposed political forces to work toward including diaspora members in parliamentary representation. Just two days ago, the Parliament of Georgia extended by another two years the process to regain Georgian citizenship, a cause I’ve championed since my time as a deputy. It is extremely important to further simplify conditions for obtaining citizenship.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world. Now more than ever, solidarity is necessary to overcome the present situation. It also changed our priorities, at least temporarily. But we must learn to turn this crisis into an opportunity. If we work in unity, Georgia will benefit from the reconfiguration of globalization that will come out of the pandemic.

Georgia shares free trade agreements with some of the largest markets of the world, from the European Union to China. Georgia is working on similar agreements with India, the United States, South Korea and others. Our region is at a crossroads between East and West, a hub of communication and trade and Georgia is an island of stability and democratic and economic development in the region.

Despite the pandemic, the Georgian people has been resilient. And despite the global economic downturn, the Georgian economy, rich with innovative and young creators and thousands of creative start-ups, will rebound. And it will rebound with your participation.

Contributing to this rebound and to the economic growth, not only of Georgia as a whole but also of its individual and unique regions, is a very important sign of solidarity from the diaspora. Investing in the Georgian economy is a sign of patriotism, but it’s also contributing to an economy that is both diverse and on the rise. Once the pandemic subsides and the world returns to its active pace, I will continue my meeting with both diaspora members and investors from the diaspora community like yourselves. The organizations present today should also work with our diplomatic representations abroad, so that every Georgian embassy and consulate becomes a center of information and facilitation for future investors.

I will continue to work to facilitate the involvement of investors like yourselves in the regional and national development of Georgia. The agencies present today will present the benefits and strategies of investing in Georgia, but my administration will work and is already working with them to create a more direct investor-to-economy pipeline, including by linking investors directly to start-ups.

I welcome this very important forum, held under the patronage of the President of Georgia, organized by the International Organization for Migration, and in collaboration with the Government of Georgia and the private sector.

This event is the first of its kind but I fully expect more and subsequent events to be held, not only online but in person. Once the world reopens, I look forward to hosting a similar forum not just in Tbilisi but across the different regions of Georgia to help you all rediscover Georgia and its great potential.

Thank you for your attendance and I wish you all a successful conference!” said Salome Zourabichvili at the forum.

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