Georgian Emigrants Ask For Attention From Georgian Government

The number of Georgians living abroad is not decreasing. Although the government assures that emigrants are coming back to Georgia, the real picture is very different. Emigrants want to come back, but they feel that nobody is interested in them here and that nobody needs them. They are complaining about state policies for emigrants and call upon the government to provide care for this category of citizen. Embassies should also pay attention to Georgians who live abroad.

One country, where more then 10,000 Georgians live, is Great Britain. According to Georgian immigrants living in the Britain, it is almost impossible for them to contact the Georgian Embassy. “I went to the embassy to vote. I did not have a passport, so I took a copy of it. I was not allowed to vote. We cannot communicate with the embassy. It is almost impossible to talk with anyone after 11 a.m. They are promoting wine and cigarettes more than the politics and strategy of the state,” this is the position of Aleko Pichkhia, one shared by other Georgian immigrants, living in London.

Georgian emigrants are frustrated - they are succeeding in other countries yet nobody needs them in their motherland. “I have applied for various job vacancies in Georgia from here, however, nobody has contacted me. They were looking for hotel managers. More than 2 thousand Georgians are working as hotel managers in popular hotels in London. We feel that nobody needs us in Georgia and we are very disappointed. Everything is still done according to connections through friendships and relatives in Georgia,” says Shalva Alaverdashvili, the manager of a 5 star hotel in London.

Every Georgian I met during my visit to London says that they intend to return to Georgia, but they are waiting for a suitable time. Paata Beltadze, who has been living in London for seven years, is representing the Georgian community through a newspaper in London. He is going back to Georgia in a couple of months and he thinks that immigration should be the savior of Georgia: “The middle class will probably return to Georgia, then the people who are working here with their own professions. It depends how the Georgian government will try to use the experience of emigrants in Georgia. Emigrants were the first people, who took the name of Georgia abroad. It is very disappointing that cooperation between the state and emigrants and diaspora communities does not exist.”

Zaza Meskhi, head of the Georgian community, also talks about the non-existence of any state strategy. According to him, the Georgian government is not using emigration for a better future. “Unfortunately, no state strategy exists, to help the return of emigrants back to Georgia. The role of emigrants in developing the country is enormous. Many Georgian families live on money sent by family members living abroad. Moreover, they are popularizing Georgia in different countries. I think that this potential is not used well enough.”

After listening to the emigrants, I tried to meet with representatives of the Georgian Embassy, but had no luck. I could only reach voice mails. Before leaving for London, I arranged a meeting with diplomats and asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for help with official letter. After a week of waiting, I was told that it was prohibited to meet with representatives of the Georgian Embassy, as this was their strategy of diplomacy and if I would like to find out anything, I would have to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Georgian immigrants, living in London also complain about this strategy and declare that the doors of the embassy are always closed to them - it is also even impossible to reach Georgian diplomats by phone.

Eka Gulua