EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the Georgian government’s actions against protesters.
Following Georgia’s suspension of EU accession talks and the subsequent crackdown on pro-EU demonstrations, the European Union is considering sanctions as a potential response, according to Kallas. Protests erupted in Tbilisi after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the postponement of accession talks until 2028, citing what he termed “constant blackmail and manipulation” by Brussels.
Demonstrators engaged in clashes with riot police, using fireworks and Molotov cocktails, while police responded with tear gas and water cannons, leading to numerous arrests. Kallas sided with the protesters, stating that violence against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable and that the Georgian government must respect its citizens’ will.
She emphasized that the EU’s relationship with Georgia will have consequences due to these events. Kallas has proposed several options to EU member states for addressing the situation, including economic sanctions, although a consensus is still needed.
Kobakhidze’s Georgian Dream party, which secured nearly 54% of the vote in recent elections, aims to maintain balanced relations with both the EU and Russia. However, pro-Western opposition parties and President Salome Zourabichvili dispute the election results. Zourabichvili refuses to leave office before a re-election is held, despite her term ending this month.
Kobakhidze attributes the unrest to “EU politicians and their agents,” alleging a Western plot to orchestrate a coup similar to the 2014 Ukrainian Maidan revolution. He previously accused the European Commission of threatening him with assassination over legislation requiring foreign-funded NGOs to register as foreign agents.
Kallas, succeeding Josep Borrell as EU foreign policy chief, is known for her strong anti-Russian stance and advocacy for increased sanctions against Moscow and military aid to Ukraine. Under her leadership, Estonia became the first EU nation to approve a mechanism for seizing frozen Russian assets to compensate Ukraine. Russia has issued an arrest warrant for Kallas due to her involvement in the removal of Soviet WWII memorials in Estonia.