Georgia protesters clash with police after PM suspends EU membership talks

European Parliament rejects election results as Georgia’s president accuses Kobakhidze of waging ‘war’ on his people.

Protesters have clashed with police in Georgia after the governing party announced it was delaying European Union accession talks.

Thousands rallied outside parliament in the capital, Tbilisi, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the controversial move, as masked riot police fired rubber bullets and deployed tear gas and water cannon against the protesters in the early hours of Friday.

Kobakhidze’s decision on Thursday had come hours after the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution rejecting the results of disputed parliamentary elections in October over “significant irregularities” and calling for a new vote and sanctions against top officials, including the prime minister.

Kobakhidze, whose Georgian Dream party has been criticised for alleged democratic backsliding and deepening ties with Russia, accused the EU body of “blackmail”, saying that he would put off accession talks until 2028, with the aim of becoming a member state in 2030.

He also said the country would refuse any budgetary grant from the EU until the end of 2028.