Several EU countries have jointly urged the Georgian authorities to hold new elections.

The countries of the Nordic-Baltic Eight have urged the Georgian authorities to hold new elections. This call came after the contentious parliamentary elections in October and the inauguration of the new president today, along with the detentions of protesters.

This was announced by Lithuania's Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, as reported by RBK-Ukraine, referencing his post on social media platform X.

On his page, a statement from the group of EU countries comprising the Nordic-Baltic Eight was published. This includes Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia.

"We are seriously concerned about the situation in Georgia. We have called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the violations reported before and during the parliamentary elections on October 26," the statement reads.

Further in response to the post, Landsbergis continued quoting the joint statement. It states that the countries condemned violence and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, politicians, and media representatives. They expressed regret over threats directed at President Salome Zourabichvili, who does not recognize either the parliamentary elections or the decision of the electoral college that elected former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as the new president.

"As long-standing friends of Georgia and supporters of the European aspirations of the Georgian people, we are alarmed that the country is moving toward deeper polarization and crisis," the Lithuanian Foreign Minister's post states.

They emphasized that Georgia urgently needs a way out of the crisis and must restore public trust in the country's democratic institutions.

"We call on the Georgian authorities to take immediate steps in this direction, including implementing the OSCE recommendations for elections and considering the possibility of holding new elections based on these recommendations," the statement concludes.

It is worth noting that today the opposition president of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, voluntarily left the presidential palace. At the same time, Mikheil Kavelashvili took the oath in the parliament building.

We also reported that after his inauguration, law enforcement in Georgia conducted the first detentions of protesters who were gathered outside the parliament building.