(Bloomberg) -- Georgia’s premier denounced what he called planned clashes between protesters and police in the capital after the ruling party announced it was delaying talks with the European Union on potential membership in the bloc.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said Thursday that his new cabinet wouldn’t pursue EU membership talks until the end of 2028, a move that drew condemnation from the president and triggered demonstrations in Tbilisi and other cities. Dozens of people were injured as police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse crowds near the parliament building, with law enforcement saying 43 people had been detained.
“It is deeply regrettable. All of this is the result of the violence we witnessed yesterday – systematic, pre-organized and planned violence,” Kobakhidze told reporters Friday. “Violent groups were involved, and, unfortunately, peaceful protesters were injured during the dispersal of the gathering. Even more regrettably, journalists were among those harmed.”
The ruling Georgian Dream party, which was founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, won October parliamentary elections to extend its 12-year rule by four more years, according to the Central Election Commission. Opposition lawmakers that back a pro-European charter are boycotting the new parliament, alleging fraud in the vote, while President Salome Zourabichvili condemned Kobakhidze’s move on delaying talks.
There have already been weeks of rallies following the election results with law enforcement twice breaking up an opposition camp in the center of Tbilisi. Opposition blocs called on supporters to protest again Friday.
Georgia applied to join the EU in 2022, along with Ukraine and Moldova, but the bloc never formally agreed to open the years-long process of negotiating membership.
EU leaders in June said that Georgia’s refusal to reverse a crackdown on civil society had prompted a “de facto” halt to its efforts to join the bloc. They cited the adoption of a “foreign agents” law, which the US and the EU said was similar to one President Vladimir Putin introduced to crush pro-democracy groups in Russia. The controversial legislation forces non-governmental organizations to disclose their sources of funding from abroad.
The prime minister said the Black Sea nation remained committed to the goal of European integration and that the government would take all practical steps to ensure accession by 2030. But while he said he was prepared for an agreement to start talks, he criticized the bloc’s approach to Georgia.
“We will not allow anyone to use artificial tools to continue blackmailing our country and attempting to divide our society,” Kobakhidze said. “Open the talks and I will sign it today even.”
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