By Felix Light
TBILISI (Reuters) – The European Union’s ambassador to Georgia said on Friday that Tbilisi’s move to effectively halt the country’s EU accession bid until 2028 was “heartbreaking” and in conflict with the wishes of most Georgians, local media reported.
The Interpress news agency cited the envoy, Pawel Herczynski, as saying: “What happened yesterday clearly contradicts the policy of the previous government of Georgia, the policy of all the previous governments of Georgia, it also contradicts the wishes of the vast majority of the population of Georgia.
“In my opinion, it is very sad and heartbreaking,” he said.
Georgia’s interior ministry said on Friday that 43 people had been arrested at a large protest against the government’s decision on Thursday night.
In a statement, the ministry said that 32 police officers had been injured during the demonstration that saw authorities drive thousands of pro-EU protesters from outside the parliament building, using pepper spray and watercannon.
A few demonstrators threw fireworks at the police, while some attempted to smash down metal barriers outside parliament.
The protest erupted after an announcement by the ruling Georgian Dream party that it would not pursue EU accession talks until 2028 after what it called “blackmail” by Brussels over the talks.
Though Georgia is an EU candidate country, its relations with Brussels have deteriorated sharply in recent months, amid allegations from EU polticians that Tbilisi is pursuing pro-Russian and authoritarian policies.
The bloc 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 prtect national security and society’s traditional values.
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.
Georgian Dream claimed victory in an October election with almost 54% of the vote, even as opposition parties said the polls were fraudulent and refused to take their seats in parliament.
The opposition Coalition for Change party, which came second in the October elections, said that two of its leaders had been attacked by police during the protest, with one suffering a broken hand, and another a broken nose.
Opposition figures have called for fresh protests on Friday.
(Reporting by Felix Light; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
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