EU envoy says Georgia's freezing of EU talks 'heartbreaking', condemns police violence

By Felix Light

TBILISI (Reuters) -The European Union's ambassador to Georgia said on Friday that Tbilisi's move to effectively halt its EU accession bid until 2028 was "heartbreaking" and he also condemned police violence against protesters at a pro-EU demonstration on Thursday.

Police used water cannon, pepper spray and tear gas against masked young protesters angry over the decision by the ruling Georgian Dream party to suspend the EU accession talks over what it called "blackmail" by Brussels.

"We deplore that violence has been used against peaceful protesters," EU envoy Pawel Herczynski said.

Describing the decision to freeze the accession talks as "very regrettable... heartbreaking", Herczynski added:

"What has happened yesterday clearly goes against the policy of the previous government of Georgia, actually all previous governments of Georgia, it also goes against the will of the vast majority of the population of Georgia."

Opinion polls show that EU membership is supported by around 80% of the Georgian population, and the goal of accession to the bloc is written into the country's constitution.

Some 112 serving Georgian diplomats have signed an open letter branding the government's suspension of EU accession talks as unconstitutional.

Georgia's interior ministry said on Friday that 43 people had been arrested during Thursday night's protest.

In a statement, it also said 32 police officers had been injured during the protest, which saw some demonstrators attempting to smash down metal barriers outside parliament.

CALL FOR MORE PROTESTS

Coalition for Change, the country's largest opposition party, said two of its female leaders had been attacked by police during the protest, with one suffering a broken hand, and another a broken nose.

"Today we have only one job - the service of the country, so that tomorrow we will have a country, and that our children will have a future," Nika Melia, another Coalition for Change leader, wrote on Facebook. He called for fresh protests on Friday.

Though Georgia is an EU candidate country, its relations with Brussels have deteriorated sharply in recent months, amid accusations from 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 LGBT rights that critics say are draconian and Moscow-inspired.

The government, which does not have diplomatic ties with Russia, said the laws were proportionate and needed to protect national security and society's traditional values.

Georgian Dream, which is seen as being controlled by its billionaire founder, ex-prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, has moved in recent years to deepen ties with Russia and China.

Georgian Dream claimed victory in an October election with almost 54% of ballots cast, but opposition parties said the vote was fraudulent and refused to take their seats in parliament.

The European Parliament voted on Thursday to withhold recognition of the October election, and called for sanctions on key Georgian Dream figures.