The European Union’s ambassador to Georgia expressed disappointment Friday over Tbilisi’s decision to effectively halt its EU accession bid until 2028, calling it “heartbreaking.” He also condemned police violence against protesters at a pro-EU demonstration Thursday.
Police used water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas against masked youths protesting the ruling Georgian Dream party’s move to suspend EU accession talks, which it described as a response to “blackmail” from Brussels.
“We deplore the use of violence against peaceful protesters,” said EU envoy Pawel Herczynski. Describing the freeze on accession talks as “very regrettable ... heartbreaking,” Herczynski added, "What happened yesterday clearly goes against the policy of previous Georgian governments and against the will of the vast majority of Georgia's population."
Opinion polls show EU membership is supported by about 80% of the Georgian population, and the goal of EU accession is written into the country's constitution.
Some 112 serving Georgian diplomats signed an open letter calling the government’s suspension of EU accession talks unconstitutional.
Georgia's Interior Ministry said Friday that 43 people had been arrested during Thursday night's protest.
In a statement, it also said 32 police officers had been injured during the protest, which saw some demonstrators attempting to smash metal barriers outside parliament.
Coalition for Change, the country’s largest opposition party, said two of its female leaders had been attacked by police during the protest, one suffering a broken hand and the other a broken nose.
"Today we have only one job: the service of the country, so that tomorrow we will have a country, and that our children will have a future," Nika Melia, another Coalition for Change leader, wrote on Facebook. He called for fresh protests Friday.
Though Georgia is an EU candidate country, its relations with Brussels have deteriorated sharply in recent months amid accusations from EU politicians that Tbilisi is pursuing pro-Russian and authoritarian policies.
The government, which does not have diplomatic ties with Russia, said the laws were necessary to protect national security and society’s traditional values.
Georgian Dream, which is seen as controlled by its billionaire founder, ex-prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, has deepened ties with Russia and China in recent years.
Georgian Dream claimed victory in an October election with nearly 54% of the vote, but opposition parties said the vote was fraudulent and refused to take their seats in parliament.
The European Parliament voted Thursday to withhold recognition of the October election and called for sanctions on key Georgian Dream figures.
