"We briefly discussed the situation in Georgia. The adoption of repressive legislation and the excessive use of force against protesters represent an alarming deterioration of the situation in the region," said the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, during a press conference following the meeting of EU foreign ministers.

"All these protesters must be released immediately. The steps Georgia is taking are not moving towards Europe. We expect certain values and specific actions from candidate countries like Georgia, and Georgia is certainly not taking the right steps," Kallas stated.