"In response to the increasing repression of the opposition in Georgia, Poland has banned eight representatives of enforcement authorities responsible for the violence against protesters from entering its territory,” the Polish foreign ministry said on Thursday.
"Poland supports the pro-European aspirations of Georgian society," it added in a post on X.
Anti-government protests have been ongoing in Georgia since November, with demonstrators demanding new parliamentary elections and a renewed commitment to the country’s European integration process, according to reports.
Protesters have denounced the ruling Georgian Dream party as illegitimate and warn of a growing authoritarian shift.
They also accuse the governing camp of acting in Russia’s interests, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
At the end of last year, the foreign ministers of Poland, France and Germany urged Georgia to reverse its course and return to the path of European integration, expressing concern over a political crisis in the country following the ruling party's decision to suspend EU accession talks.
In a joint statement, Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, France's Jean-Noël Barrot and Germany's Annalena Baerbock said that they were "seriously concerned about the political crisis which erupted in Georgia following the October 26 parliamentary elections and Georgian Dream's decision to freeze EU accession process."
The three countries at the time announced plans to "implement the EU decision on ending visa-free travel for Georgian diplomatic and service passport holders and consider additional measures on EU and national level."
In an earlier statement in December, the Polish, French and German foreign ministers expressed regret over the Georgian ruling party's decision to suspend EU accession talks until 2028, saying that the move contradicts the European aspirations of the Georgian people.
In October, the three top diplomats voiced concern over the rise in aggressive anti-EU rhetoric in Georgia, warning that the EU would not tolerate the spread of "false narratives" about European positions and policies by the Georgian authorities.
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Source: IAR, PAP