Ivanishvili meets Georgian expatriots in Brussels
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, November 15
Prime Minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili met with the representatives of Georgia's Diaspora during his first official visit to Brussels, on November 13. Georgians from various European states came to take part in the meeting and to ask the PM questions. Nearly 400 Georgians attended the meeting.
Georgian Foreign Minister, Maia Panjikidze, Minister in European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Aleksi Petriashvili, Minister in Diaspora issues, Kote Surguladze and the President of Georgia’s Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Kakha Baindurashvili, also attended the meeting.
During the meeting, Ivanishvili stated that he is going to leave politics in spring of 2014, after the self-government elections.
“I will leave a very good government and will take responsibility for them. After leaving politics, I intend to control them from the civil sector,” Ivanishvili stated.
Ivanishvili also underscored that the power should not be given to a single man.
The Prime Minister emphasized that he knows how hard is to be far from the homeland and promised those gathered at the meeting to do his best for their worthy coming back to Georgia.
The Prime Minister spoke about his short and long-term plans and initiatives, one of which concerned the creation of an investment group, which will be in charge of attracting investments to Georgia. PM told the Georgian audience that he was carrying out intensive negotiations with Georgian businesspersons regarding the issue.
"The government of Georgia will fund interesting projects with 75%,” Ivanishvili underscored.
Georgian nationals seemed satisfied and glad after the meeting. According to them the meeting was very friendly and they received answers to all their questions.
“Ivanishvili returned to us the belief that everything will improve. He has also managed to annihilate fear in public. Only when there is no fear in society can a powerful civil society be formed,” Georgian national, Iori Torkadze said.
Fellow participant Temur Momsikashvili stated that he had come all the way from Strasbourg to take part in the meeting.
“I heard the answers on all my questions. I am very glad and hope that the situation will be improved,” Momsikashvili said.
People underscored that the PM and the Georgians gathered there had a great desire for the meeting to continue a little longer.
“There were so many emotions and such positive charges during the meeting that everyone wished to have more time for communication,” Kote Surguladze stated.
The meeting was also attended by Merab Bladadze who is the relative of Vladimer Bedukadze and with whom Bedukadze had lived for some period. (Bedukadze-The man who spread scandalous video footage on torture in Georgian prisons prior to parliamentary elections).
Bladadze handed over a letter to Ivanishvili. However, he refrained from commenting on its content.
The meeting was emotionally concluded with the reading of a poem by one of the Georgians in attendance.
