About 140 Georgian emigres from 40 countries gathered at a state-sponsored forum which opened in Tbilisi on May 27.
The forum is an attempt “to restore the bridge between us and our compatriots abroad, which is a huge asset for us,” Gia Kheviashvili, the minister of refugees and resettlement said.
The forum was attended by President Saakashvili and the head of the Tbilisi-loyal South Ossetian provisional administration, Dimitri Sanakoev.
The authorities presented a draft action plan on emigre matters. “The plan involves measures the government should undertake in order to consolidate our compatriots abroad,” Minister Kheviashvili said.
A new website, www.diaspora.ge, was also presented at the forum.
The government has initiated 2007 as the “Year of the Georgian Diaspora.” The largest Georgian communities are in Russia, Turkey and Iran.
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