07.04.22
Deputy Fridon Indzhiya today presented the legislative initiative of the opposition parliamentary political group "European Socialists" to simplify the procedure for issuing Georgian citizenship to emigrants from Georgia and their children.
"I want to introduce you to the legislative initiative of the members of the European Socialists": Avtandila Enukidze, Davida Zilpimiani, Gela Mikadze and mine.
This initiative concerns amendments to the Organic Law "On Citizenship of Georgia", due to a number of important factors.
According to the Statistical Service of Georgia, in 2021 the population of the country was 3,728,573 people.
This indicator clearly conveys the severity of the demographic and migration problems of Georgia over the last 30 years.
Special mention should be made of the mass emigration of the 1990s, which followed a complex social and economic situation and military conflicts in the country. Citizens of Georgia, regardless of their nationality, went abroad. Unfortunately, this process continues to this day and reaches critical indicators.
The military-political conflict at the end of the XX century created another source of migration. As a result of the conflicts in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, the population of these regions has been cut off from the rest of Georgia for almost three decades, and part of them live outside the country.
Against the backdrop of increased emigration indicators, there is a tendency to decrease the rate of return of emigrants to their homeland, for a number of reasons, they do not have the opportunity to return. One of the first reasons can be - deficiencies in the legislative base and even artificially created barriers.
Not only those who emigrated at the time, but also their children, who are more and more distant from their native roots, are separated from Georgia.
The state is obliged to return and protect everyone who fled because of the difficult social, economic, conflict situation in the country or was forced to leave their homeland, and at the same time, the state should give them the opportunity and motivation to return to Georgia.
The state is also obliged to provide material assistance to a family that has returned from emigration, which is the subject of further discussion.
The project of the law, prepared by the "European Socialists", is aimed at introducing those changes to the Organic Law "On the Citizenship of Georgia", which, according to the new regulations and taking into account the existing challenges, as well as practical necessity, will simplify the acquisition of the citizenship of Georgia for persons who left the country for the above-mentioned reasons. and also for their children.
Although there are clauses in the current law, which, theoretically, somehow simplify the procedures for obtaining citizenship, but in practice they do not fully ensure their effective implementation. Unfortunately, this causes resentment and disappointment among emigrants.
It is necessary to carry out such a migration policy, which will arouse interest in Georgia and give motivation to return to their homeland with their children. They should feel that the state cares about them. In this question, you can give an example of many other countries.
It is necessary to have reservations in the law that will facilitate the acquisition of citizenship for those who wish to return to their historical roots, so that there are no barriers for them, such as complex testing in the state language, history of Georgia and the basis of law.
We believe that such a policy of the state will contribute to the strengthening of the country and the improvement of the demographic problem.
When preparing the draft law, we consulted with various organizations, including state institutions, such as the Supreme Council of Abkhazia, the President's Administration, and also with individual members of the Parliament.