At the off-site meeting of the Diaspora Committee held in Kaspi Municipality, participants received information regarding the granting of the status of “Compatriot Living Abroad”.

Deputy Chair of the Public Service Development Agency, David Gvaramadze, briefed committee members on the criteria under which individuals are granted the status of “Compatriot Living Abroad.” He also discussed technical aspects related to the granting of the status, as well as statistical data.

Director of the International Legal, Consular and Diaspora Affairs Directorate of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Giorgi Tabatadze, spoke about the main trends and existing challenges related to granting this status.

The sitting also addressed issues related to supporting diaspora entrepreneurship in Georgia. Director of the Consular and Diaspora Affairs Department of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Nodar Komakhidze, and Head of the Micro Entrepreneurship Development Department of the agency “Produce in Georgia,” Meri Gulua, focused on state programs and investment opportunities.

Participants also heard from Shalva Merebashvili, founder and chairman of the Georgian community in Bremen and founder of “Merebashvili’s Estate”.

During the meeting, representatives of the diaspora living in various countries expressed their views remotely.

Chair of the Diaspora Committee, Irakli Zarkua, emphasized the importance of strengthening mechanisms supporting diaspora entrepreneurship and maintaining continuous communication with the diaspora. According to him, these steps will contribute to more actively utilizing the economic potential of the diaspora in the country’s development process.

The off-site sitting of the Diaspora Committee was attended by the delegate of Kaspi and Gori municipalities, Vladimer Khinchegashvili, State Trustee in the Shida Kartli region Simon Guledani, Mayor of Kaspi Municipality Vakhtang Maisuradze, and Chair of the Kaspi Municipal Council Shota Beglarashvili.

Following the meeting, Members of Parliament visited the Kaspi Technopark, a vocational college, and “Merebashvili’s Estate”.