Police clashed with protesters in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, after the ruling party announced that the government would suspend negotiations for the country’s accession to the European Union, in addition to refusing budget subsidies from the bloc until 2028.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, three police officers were injured in the clashes. Police ordered protesters to disperse, fired water cannons and used pepper spray and tear gas against masked youths trying to enter Parliament.
Some protesters threw fireworks at the police and shouted “Russians” and “Slaves!” Relations between Georgia and the United States have deteriorated drastically in recent months. Brussels alleged that the government had resorted to authoritarian measures and adopted pro-Russian positions. Before the clashes,
The ruling Georgian Dream bloc accused the EU of “a cascade of insults”, saying in a statement that the entity was using the prospect of accession negotiations to “blackmail” the country and “organize a revolution”.
As a result, he said: “We have decided not to put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028. Furthermore, we refuse any budget subsidies from the European Union until the end of 2028.”
The country of 3.7 million people has the goal of EU membership written into its Constitution, and has long been among the most pro-Western successor states to the Soviet Union. The Georgian Dream party claims not to be pro-Russia and says it is committed to democracy and integration with the West.
Opinion polls suggest that 80% of Georgians support EU membership, and the bloc’s flag is seen alongside the national flag outside virtually every public building in the country.
