The EU countries made a strong statement against the repressive policy of the Georgian authorities

In a joint statement, 17 EU member states and the High Representative of the European Union strongly condemned "politically motivated arrests and detentions of leaders of opposition parties aimed at suppressing the political opposition in Georgia."

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Great Britain emphasized that Georgia is rapidly sliding towards authoritarianism, and warned of possible countermeasures. The EU calls on Tbilisi to immediately release the detainees and start a national dialogue.

"We condemn the government's anti-democratic actions and violations of human rights and are ready to use the mechanisms at our disposal if the Georgian government continues to undermine democracy and respect for human rights in the country.

There is also an opportunity to change the course. We call on the government of Georgia to immediately release the unjustly detained politicians, journalists and activists, repeal the repressive legislation and start a national dialogue with all interested parties to find a way out of the current situation," the statement said.

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