EU asking Georgian authorities to 'go back to European path' - Borrell's representative

BRUSSELS. May 13 (Interfax) - The European Union is closely following the situation in Georgia and condemns the authorities' violence against protesting citizens, but currently sees no need to introduce sanctions, Peter Stano, spokesperson for EU High Representative Josep Borrell, said.

"We are not there yet. Georgia after all is a candidate country. We hope, we expect, and we call on the authorities to go back to the European path and deliver on all the commitments they took upon themselves voluntarily when they applied for the candidate status," Stano said at a briefing in Brussels on Monday when commenting on the protest movement against the bill On the Transparency of Foreign Influence.

The EU sees the desire of the vast majority of the Georgian population to join the EU, and Brussels would like the Georgian authorities to react appropriately to this commitment to European values, he said.

"What we have seen over the past few days in Georgia in terms of the response of the authorities, especially from the police, was violence. We strongly condemn acts of intimidation, threats and physical assaults against the protesters, against civil society activists, against politicians, and against journalists and media workers. These are brutal actions, and these brutal actions we've seen in the night from yesterday to today, so we strongly these. We call on the authorities to ensure the right to protest, we call on the authorities to investigate all the misconduct and violations, if they have been committed, and we expect those responsible for it will be brought to justice," Stano said.

According to earlier reports, the Georgian police detained 20 people protesting against the adoption of the foreign agent law near the parliament building on Monday.

The Georgian parliament's Legal Issues Committee approved the bill on foreign agents without the opposition's participation on Monday morning.