Tbilisi — Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused the European Union of backing what he described as an attempt to overthrow his government, after police clashed with protesters outside the presidential palace during local elections.
According to authorities, riot police used pepper spray and water cannons to disperse crowds trying to force entry into the palace on Saturday. Five activists were detained as thousands of demonstrators rallied against the ruling Georgian Dream party in the capital.
Kobakhidze claimed that around 7,000 people took part in what he called an “attempt to overthrow the constitutional order,” insisting the effort failed despite alleged European support.
“They moved to action, began the overthrow attempt, it failed, and then they started distancing themselves from it,” the prime minister told the Georgian news agency Interpress.
He further accused EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński of interfering in Georgia’s domestic affairs and demanded that he publicly condemn the protests.
“Specific people from abroad have expressed direct support for this attempted overthrow,” Kobakhidze said. “In this context, the European Union ambassador to Georgia bears special responsibility. He should distance himself and condemn what is happening on the streets of Tbilisi.”
The EU has not yet responded to Kobakhidze’s latest remarks. However, in July the bloc’s diplomatic service rejected what it called “disinformation and baseless accusations” from Georgian authorities, denying any effort to destabilize the country.
“Recent statements falsely claiming that the EU seeks to destabilize Georgia, drag it into war, or impose so-called ‘non-traditional values’ constitute a deliberate attempt to mislead the public,” the EU said at the time.
The governing Georgian Dream party announced on Saturday that it had secured victory in every municipality in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people, amid a boycott by the country’s two largest opposition blocs.
