Baltic, Polish leaders 'open' to visiting Georgia - Lithuanian president

VILNIUS - The Baltic and Polish leaders are "still open" to visiting Georgia this month, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Friday.

"Yes, we are considering and discussing a visit to Georgia in December. This possibility is still open and we will discuss it with President Duda, who will join our event a bit later," he said at a joint press conference with his Baltic counterparts in Klaipeda.

Nauseda is hosting the annual meeting of the Baltic presidents in the Lithuanian port city.

The Georgian government's announcement that it is suspending EU accession talks until the end of 2028 has triggered a new wave of protests in the South Caucasus country.

Nauseda noted that EU integration is a potential strategic element enshrined in Georgia's Constitution.

"Therefore, this decision goes against both the Constitution and the will of the Georgian people," he said.

According to Nauseda, the more unified the EU's stance on Georgia, the more effectively the bloc's policies can be implemented.

"For this reason, I'm in favor of considering certain sanctions that could be applied to Georgia at the European level," the Lithuanian president said.

"But this is a matter of credibility. If the EU announces measures or sanctions against Georgia but later fails to implement them... Of course, this undermines trust, and we'd like to avoid that," he added.

Nauseda also pointed out that the current situation in Georgia differs from that in 2008.

A five-day war between Russia and Georgia’s pro-Western government in August 2008 ended with Russian troops being deployed to the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Moscow later recognized as independent.

Back in 2008, Nauseda noted, Georgian society stood united against the aggressor.

"This time, we see a society divided into two parts," he said.

Estonian president Alar Karis called the violence against protesters in Georgia unacceptable.

"Let's hope it will end the way most Georgian people want - with the accession process to the European Union," he told the joint press conference.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics noted that a lot now depends on Georgia itself, "whether the country wants to continue on the European path or decides to suspend or stop it."

Georgia's disputed October elections have plunged the country into a political crisis. In recent days, tens of thousands of pro-European protesters have taken to the streets to oppose the ruling Georgian Dream party.