Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Sunday that protesters who sought to force entry to the presidential palace the previous evening had been trying to topple the government and accused the European Union of meddling in Georgia's affairs.
Georgian riot police used pepper spray and water cannons to desperse the demonstrators away from the presidential palace in the capital Tbilisi on Saturday.
Five activists were detaomed in the incident which saw the opposition stage a large demonstration on the day of local elections.
On Sunday, the State Security Service said it had discovered a large cache of weapons, ammunition, explosives and a detonator in a forest outside Tbilisi and said were intended for "subversive acts" at Saturday's protest.
It said a Georgian citizen, whom it identified only by the individual's initials, had purchased the arms at the behest of another Georgian fighting in Ukraine, according to the statement cited by the Interpress news agency.
Kobakhidze said that up to 7,000 people attended Saturday's rally but their "attempt to overthrow the constitutional order" had failed despite what he said was support from Brussels.
He accused EU Ambassador Paweł Herczynski of meddling in Georgian politics and urged him to condemn the protests.
"You know that specific people from abroad have even expressed direct support for all this, for the announced attempt to overthrow the constitutional order," Interpress cited Kobakhidze as saying.
"In this context, the European Union ambassador to Georgia bears special responsibility. He should come out, distance himself and strictly condemn everything that is happening on the streets of Tbilisi."
In a statement on Sunday, the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kops said the bloc "firmly rejects and condemns the disinformation regarding the EU's role in Georgia and denounces the personal attacks against the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia."
The statement said the election had taken place "amid a period of extensive crackdown on dissent" and urged authorities and civil society against engaging in violence.
The governing Georgian Dream party claimed victory in every municipality across the South Caucasus country of 3.7 million people in Saturday's municipal election, which was boycotted by the two largest opposition blocs.
Georgia's pro-Western opposition has been staging protests since October last year, when Georgian Dream won a parliamentary election that its critics say was fraudulent. The party has rejected accusations of vote-rigging.
Once one of the most pro-Western nations to emerge from the ashes of the Soviet Union, Georgia has had frayed relations with the West since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
South Korean prosecutors have requested a 15-year prison sentence for former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, who is on trial for bribery, stock manipulation ...
Serbia’s parliament has adopted a 2026 budget that sets a 3 % deficit and reserves 164 billion dinars (about $1.6 billion) for a potential state tak...
Salvador Nasralla of Honduras’ centrist Liberal Party has taken a razor-thin lead over conservative rival Nasry Asfura, the candidate backed by U.S....
A round table meeting of NATO foreign minsters has just begun in Brussels, where they're expected to speak about ongoing peace talks, as well as defen...
South Korean prosecutors have requested a 15-year prison sentence for former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, who is on trial for bribery, stock manipulation and fundraising offences, with a verdict due on 28 January.
Serbia’s parliament has adopted a 2026 budget that sets a 3 % deficit and reserves 164 billion dinars (about $1.6 billion) for a potential state takeover of oil firm NIS.
Salvador Nasralla of Honduras’ centrist Liberal Party has taken a razor-thin lead over conservative rival Nasry Asfura, the candidate backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, in a presidential election marred by delays and allegations of fraud.
U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a blistering verbal attack on the Somali community, characterising migrants as "garbage" just as federal authorities prepare a contentious enforcement operation in the Midwestern state of Minnesota.
A four-part docuseries executive produced by Curtis '50 cent' Jackson and directed by Alexandria Stapleton on Netflix is at the centre of controversy online.
Russia has claimed a decisive breakthrough in the nearly four-year war, with the Kremlin announcing the total capture of the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk just hours before United States mediators were due to arrive in Moscow.
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed critical issues surrounding Ukraine’s ongoing conflict, the role of American mediation, and European involvement during a press conference on Monday, reaffirming France’s commitment to supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and ensuring peace in the region.
Venezuela is facing mounting diplomatic and economic isolation as regional governments, airlines and international bodies react to escalating tensions between Caracas and Washington.
French President Emmanuel Macron is in China for his fourth state visit, as Europe tries to balance economic dependence on the world’s second-largest economy.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has launched a five-day joint anti-terrorism exercise codenamed Sahand-2025 in Iran’s northwest province of East Azarbaijan under the command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev says the investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near Aktau is in its final stage, with officials awaiting reports from foreign aviation authorities before closing the case.
Uzbekistan has reopened its border with Afghanistan for the first time since 2021, the country’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced on Tuesday.
Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev says COP31 in Türkiye will strengthen regional climate cooperation, with Baku ready to share its COP29 experience and coordinate the upcoming agenda with Ankara.
Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon has held an emergency meeting with the country’s security leadership following the death of five people at the Tajik Afghan border.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment