PM: migration concerns legitimate, Turkish and Iranian nationals make up 0.7% of population

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said public concern over migration was understandable and legitimate, citing wider developments in Europe and stressing the importance of protecting Georgia’s national and religious identity.

Speaking about preliminary census data, Kobakhidze said Georgia’s population stood at 3,914,000, of which up to 257,000 people - or 6.6% were are foreign nationals, including those residing in the country illegally. He noted that updated figures will be published by the national statistics office in the coming months.

According to border-crossing data referenced by the Prime Minister, around 70% of foreigners living in Georgia - approximately 180,000 people - were citizens of post-Soviet countries, EU member states, the United States and Israel. Of those, at least 40,000 were former Georgian citizens or individuals with Georgian surnames.

Kobakhidze said Turkish nationals accounted for 7.4% of the foreign population in Georgia, while Iranian nationals made up 3.7%. Combined, he said, citizens of those two neighbouring countries represented 0.7% of Georgia’s total population.

He also rejected what he described as speculation regarding migration from Gulf states, saying that migrants from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were “virtually non-existent” in Georgia.