The Bureau for Diaspora Relations presented the draft strategy “Diaspora 2025” at the Congress of the Diaspora that is taking place in Chisinau on September 1-3. The Bureau’s head Victor Lutenco said the authorities want to bring back home not only the Moldovans from abroad, but also their investments and experience for developing Moldova, IPN reports.

The strategy “Diaspora 2025” was worked out by a foreign expert in the fields of diaspora and migration. It will be subject to public debates, including with those from the diaspora, and will be then submitted to Parliament. The strategy will be implemented in two stages. Within the first stage, concrete steps will be taken to assess and monitor the situation of Moldovans from the diaspora. The second stage will be implemented from 2020 and will contain measures to determine how things changed and to set the new objectives until 2025 so as to bring back home those from the diaspora.

The state pledges to protect the rights of the citizens from abroad, to help them in emergencies and to ensure their access to social protection services. A mechanism will be designed to allow those from the diaspora to contribute to the country’s development by donating money for implementing local development and social projects and by charity. Victor Lutenco noted that by the diaspora’s contribution to repairing roads, developing new social services and to other activities, Moldova will become a state that will offer the same opportunities as the states where the members of the diaspora live.

According to the head of the Bureau for Diaspora Relations, a diaspora investments collective fund will be created to attract foreign investors to Moldova and to start joint businesses. The strategic goal of the state is to bring back its citizens not only physically, but also virtually, so that migration becomes a choice, not a desperate need.