Either Prison or 1000 Euros and European Kick

This is the choice. Europe has adopted more severe regulations. Those emigrants failed to obtain right of settlement in Europe, are facing serious threat. “Georgia and the World” keeps the reader informed about hard lives of Georgian emigrants and publishes stories by our countrymen who escaped from Georgia to earn money, but later became slaves to circumstances and now have to follow severe course of life.

Georgia is a very far and unperceivable notion for those Georgians born abroad, likewise the raving beauty of Ritsa lake is unimaginable for the children born in the families displaced from Abkhasia.

As a matter of fact, I have frequent contacts with the emigrants living in Europe. Recently I have asked one of them whether he intended to come to Georgia and show up at his cousin’s wedding party. But the reply was short: “I can’t afford, god damn it”.

The life forced the whole family to migrate to Greece. Elene was 5 years old when they moved to Athens. Now she is 8 and despite all family members speak Georgian with her, she simply does not understand many Georgian words and needs Greek interpretation. She is rather fluent in Greek.

This family will not be deported from Greece. They managed to obtain right of the access to works. However, there is serious threat that thousands of Georgians illegally living in Greece may spend hot summer days in prisons. Greek authorities will finalize construction of special campuses by that time and will start hunting for victims.

Georgian emigrants have serious concerns about future. They are embarrassed. What awaits them? Three is zero perspective. Greek authorities offer the choice – either prison or 1000 Euros and removal from the country. In previous edition Elguja Minadze, president of Salonika Georgian Society “Georgia”, expressed his concerns regarding zero level attention being paid by Georgian authorities toward emigrants living in Greece. Meanwhile, in his recent speech at the Parliament of Georgia, President Mikhail Saakashvili declared that many Georgians had left the country during past years and authorities have to make children of these families return to their homeland. Is not that cynicism? “These children should be back”. And what about their parents? What will you offer them? How will they feed their children or pay fees for education? I know plenty of mothers, who had no means for providing education to their children, and who migrated to other countries in order to earn money like slaves and enable their children to continue studying.

According to President Saakashvili, all Georgians should have equal opportunities for participating in country’s political life. But let alone political life, some Georgians are deprived of elementary rights, including the right of existence and that’s why they escape from Georgia. We would advise authorities to go ahead and conduct a survey, and they will find out that almost whole nation is obsessive about leaving the country.

But where are you leaving for? The hosts are offering the following alternative – either prison or 1000 Euros and the kick.