Georgia Protests Spread As PM Freezes Talks On Joining EU

Protesters rallied in Georgia’s capital for a fourth consecutive night on Sunday, with signs of opposition spreading nationwide following the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union (EU), CNN reported.

President Salome Zourabichvili declared that "the resistance movement [had] begun," expressing solidarity with the protesters in a televised address. I Photo: სალომე ზურაბიშვილი / Salome Zourabichvili Facebook

The country of 3.7 million has faced months of escalating tension between the ruling Georgian Dream party and its opponents, who accuse it of adopting increasingly authoritarian, anti-Western, and pro-Russian policies.

The crisis intensified after an announcement that the government would freeze EU talks for four years.

Thousands of pro-EU demonstrators clashed with police, who deployed tear gas and water cannons. On Sunday night, protesters gathered again on Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue.

Georgian news agency Interpress also reported that demonstrators had blocked an access road to the country’s main commercial port in Poti, a Black Sea city.

On Friday, thousands returned to the streets of Tbilisi, chanting "traitors" and holding photographs of journalists allegedly beaten by police during earlier protests. For the second consecutive night, police used tear gas and water cannons against the demonstrators.

President Salome Zourabichvili declared that "the resistance movement [had] begun," expressing solidarity with the protesters in a televised address.

"We will remain united until Georgia achieves its goals: returning to its European path and securing new elections," she said.

Protests were reported in at least eight cities and towns across the country.

The EU and the United States have expressed alarm at what they perceive as Georgia's pivot away from a pro-Western stance toward closer ties with Russia. However, Georgian Dream claims its actions are aimed at defending the nation’s sovereignty from external interference.