"On Saturday, President Andrzej Duda talked on the phone with the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili," the Polish President's Office said in a post on the X social media platform.
Suspension of EU accession talks
"During the conversation, President Zourabichvili described the situation in Georgia following the recent decision by the government on the complete suspension of accession negotiations with the European Union until 2028," it added.
"She gave an account of the grassroots spontaneous social protests and expressed her very deep concern with the possible intensification of tensions, escalation of the internal conflict and a serious constitutional crisis in Georgia."
'Freezing of relations with EU'
The Polish President's Office further said: "President Andrzej Duda has consistently supported the long–standing aspirations of the Georgian people to be part of the European Union.
"This goal is enshrined in the Constitution of Georgia and according to all polls it is supported by a vast majority of Georgian society.
"The decision of the Tbilisi government on the complete suspension of the accession negotiations, which de facto means freezing of relations with the EU, is a painful blow to these aspirations and inflicts very serious damage on both Georgia and the European Union.
"This radical step, which is clearly in the interest of Russia, is contradictory to the pre–election declarations of the Georgian Dream, and hence has the appearance of electoral fraud.
"This prompts a thorough examination of all doubts concerning the conduct of the parliamentary elections in Georgia held on October 26, 2024.
'Unprecedented scale of ongoing demonstrations'
"The unprecedented scale of the ongoing demonstrations as well as the public protests by numerous representatives of the Georgian administration are evidence of a profound sense of disappointment and concern with the government decision among the Georgian people.
"Furthermore, it is a testimony of a huge determination to return to the path of EU integration.
'Georgia's place is in a united Europe'
"At the same time, media information about the brutality in suppressing the protests and the risk of bloodshed raise huge concern over future developments in Georgia.
"Therefore, President Andrzej Duda calls on the government of Georgia to exercise restraint and prudence, to listen to the voice of its citizens and to abandon the decisions which run counter to their will, to demonstrate openness in clarifying all doubts about the course of recent parliamentary elections and readiness to call new elections, free from any doubts and suspicions.
"The place of Georgia is in a united Europe."
Warsaw backs Tbilisi's EU, NATO ambitions
In a phone call with Zourabichvili in late October, Duda reaffirmed Warsaw’s support for Tbilisi's aspirations to join the EU and NATO.
Last month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed concern over the fairness of Georgia's October 26 parliamentary elections, in which the pro-Russia ruling party emerged victorious over the pro-EU opposition amid reports of voting irregularities.
The three leaders also supported the European aspirations of the Georgian people.
The results of the election dealt a blow to Georgia's pro-Western opposition, which seeks to speed up the country's integration with Europe, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Zourabichvili, a pro-EU politician and outspoken critic of the ruling party, in late October called on citizens to protest the election results.
Photo: EPA/DAVID MDZINARISHVILI
The four main opposition parties that won seats in parliament said they did not recognise the results, and vowed to boycott the house, the Reuters news agency reported.
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters