Georgia has suspended its bid to join the European Union, prompting thousands of protesters to take to the streets, where they clashed with police in the capital of Tbilisi.

Georgian riot police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators protesting a government decision to delay pursuing European Union accession.

The Georgian Interior Ministry on Friday said law enforcement had arrested 43 individuals during protests outside the Parliament building in central Tbilisi overnight for “disobedience to police orders” and “petty hooliganism”,

The European Union’s ambassador to Georgia expressed disappointment Friday over Tbilisi’s decision to effectively halt its E.U. accession bid

Georgia’s prime minister says the country will suspend negotiations on joining the European Union in view of what he described as “blackmail and manipulation” from some EU politicians.

TBILISI - The European Union's ambassador to Georgia said on Friday that Tbilisi's move to effectively halt its EU accession bid until 2028 was \"heartbreaking\" and he also condemned police violence against protesters at a pro-EU demonstration on Thursday.

The statement by the prime minister came hours after he was reappointed to the job by members of the governing Georgian Dream party after its disputed victory in last month’s parliamentary election that has sparked protests and led to an opposition boycott of parliament.

Police clashed with protesters in the Georgian capital Tbilisi early on Friday, after the country’s ruling party said the government would suspend talks on European Union accession and refuse budgetary grants until 2028.

Georgia on Thursday said it will suspend accession talks with the European Union until the end of 2028. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze from the nationalist Georgian Dream ruling party said Brussels' demands for negotiations were a form of blackmail and said integration was a two-way process.