The President of Georgia highlighted a “peaceful nature” of ongoing protests in the country against the Government’s decision to suspend European Union accession talks until 2028 in her address to the European Parliament.

Salome Zourabichvili also accused the Georgian authorities of “aligning with Russian interests”, and using “repressive and violent” methods against “peaceful demonstrators”.

“There are not two sides in Georgia. On one side is the population of Georgia, and on the other side is the repressive apparatus of one party. 21-day-long protests in Georgia are unifying movement encompassing all layers of Georgian society, sparked by citizens’ demand for their stolen votes in the October elections and their European future. This movement is peaceful civil disobedience. This is not a revolutionary movement. It is about returning to free and fair elections”, - said the President.

She highlighted the Georgian people had “consistently demonstrated their commitment to Europe”, with “80 to 90%” favouring EU integration in polls since independence in 1991: “The courage and determination of the Georgian people show their commitment to freedom, Europeanness, and independence”.