What the Law on Compatriots Living Abroad Regulates
The law of Georgia on compatriots living abroad defines the principles of state policy towards these persons, establishes the foundations for the activities of Georgian state bodies implementing that policy, and regulates the legal status of a compatriot living abroad and of a diaspora organization. In pursuing this policy, the Georgian state relies on universally recognized principles and norms of international law, including non-interference in the internal affairs of other states and the protection of human rights and freedoms. The purpose of the law is to create a clear legal framework for persons who maintain cultural, linguistic or ancestral ties with Georgia while residing in foreign states.
The law defines its key concepts. A compatriot living abroad is a citizen of Georgia who permanently resides in another state, or a citizen of another state who has origin from Georgia and/or whose native language belongs to the Kartvelian-Caucasian languages. Origin from Georgia means the affiliation of a person or of his or her ancestor with any ethnic group living on the territory of Georgia, together with that person's recognition of Georgia as the country of his or her origin; in determining origin, the law takes into account five generations of the person's ascending line. The family member of a compatriot is deemed to be his or her spouse and children, while the diaspora is the unity of compatriots living abroad. A diaspora organization is an association created in accordance with the legislation of the state of residence for the purpose of popularizing Georgian culture, the Georgian state language and traditions, linking diasporas with one another, and cooperating with Georgia in cultural, scientific-technical, sporting and other fields. For the systematization of diaspora organizations, a database on such organizations — a registry — is created at the relevant state body.