Georgia: Dozens of pro-EU protesters arrested

The situation in Georgia is explosive after the decision of the ruling party to suspend accession talks with the EU for four years, which led to violent incidents with dozens of arrests overnight in the capital Tbilisi.

More than 100 serving Georgian diplomats have signed an open letter criticizing the suspension of accession talks by the new government, a diplomat told Reuters.

Diplomats stress that the decision, announced by the ruling Georgian Dream party on Thursday, violates the country’s constitutional commitment to seek EU membership.

The European Union’s ambassador to Georgia, in the first comments from Brussels, even said that Tbilisi’s move to effectively stop its EU candidacy until 2028 was “heartbreaking”.

He also condemned police violence against protesters at the pro-EU demonstration. Police used water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas against young protesters angry at the decision and carrying flags.

The interior ministry announced on Friday that 43 people had been arrested. In a statement, he also said 32 police officers were injured during the demonstration, during which some protesters tried to break through metal barriers outside parliament.

The Coalition for Change, the largest opposition party, said two of its leaders were attacked by police during the demonstration, with one having her arm broken and the other her nose broken.

Nika Melia, leader of the Coalition for Change, called for new demonstrations later in the day (Friday).

“Today we have only one job – the service of the country, so that tomorrow we have a country, and our children have a future,” Melia wrote on Facebook.

Georgian Dream won the October election with nearly 54% of the vote, but opposition parties said the vote was rigged and refused to take their seats in parliament. The party suspended EU accession talks due to what it called “blackmail” by Brussels.

The protest of the diplomats

President Salome Zourabisvili, a pro-European and critic of the Georgian Dream whose powers are mostly ceremonial, appealed on Thursday to
Georgian diplomats to protest against freezing of talks.

A diplomat told Reuters that more than 100 serving diplomats had signed the letter, saying the move violated the country’s constitutional commitment to seek EU membership.

Georgia’s ambassador to South Korea, in a Facebook post, appeared to oppose the membership freeze, while Tbilisi’s envoy to Bulgaria told X that he resigned due to the suspension of talks.

EU envoy in Tbilisi Pavel Herczynski described the decision to freeze accession talks as “very sad” and “heartbreaking”.

“What happened yesterday clearly goes against the policy of the previous government of Georgia, in fact of all the previous governments of Georgia, it also goes against the will of the vast majority of the population of Georgia,” he said.

He also deplored the violence against the protesters.

Although Georgia is a candidate country, its relations with Brussels have deteriorated sharply in recent months amid accusations by EU politicians that Tbilisi is pursuing pro-Russian and authoritarian policies.

The EU itself said earlier this year that Georgia’s application had been frozen in response to new laws passed against “foreign agents” and LGBTI rights that critics say are draconian and Moscow-inspired.

The government, which has no diplomatic ties to Russia, said the laws were proportionate and necessary to protect national security and traditional societal values.

Georgian Dream, believed to be controlled by its billionaire founder, former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, has moved in recent years to deepen ties with Russia and China.

The European Parliament voted on Thursday against recognizing the October elections and called for sanctions against key figures of the Georgian Dream.