Tbilisi, Nov. 29, (dpa/GNA) – Demonstrators took to the streets on Thursday to protest a decision by the Georgian government earlier in the day to suspend accession talks with the European Union until the end of 2028.
In Tbilisi, several thousand people gathered in front of the parliament building until late into the evening. A large contingent of armed police sealed off government buildings and held back the crowd.
Pro-European President Salome Zourabichvili, who joined the protest, called on the security forces not to take action against the demonstrators.
Zourabichvili also called for a re-run of the October parliamentary elections, which were overshadowed by accusations of fraud. The ruling party Georgian Dream has officially been declared the winner.
Pro-European rallies with hundreds of participants were also reported in the major Georgian cities of Batumi, Kutaisi, Gori and Zugdidi.
Georgia suspends EU accession talks
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze from the nationalist Georgian Dream said Tbilisi would not negotiate accession to the EU with Brussels before the end of 2028 and would not accept any EU budgetary support before then.
Kobakhidze characterized Brussels’ demands for negotiations as a form of blackmail and said integration was a two-way process.
Georgia, along with Ukraine and Moldova, was granted EU candidate status in December 2023, but its relationship with the bloc has deteriorated significantly in recent months.
While the opposition aims to maintain ties to Europe, the Georgian government passed a law restricting civil society groups that was similar to methods used in Russia. As a result, Brussels has put accession talks on hold.
The opposition remains committed to a pro-European stance, accusing the government of securing its election victory through manipulation.
GNA