Georgia has been rocked by protests after its increasingly autocratic government said it would halt the former Soviet country’s bid to join the European Union.

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.

Police in Tbilisi fired water cannons at protesters who took to the streets after Georgia’s ruling party suspended negotiations to join the European Union until 2028.

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.

Protesters clashed with police in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, as Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the government wouldn’t pursue European Union membership talks until the end of 2028. Police used tear gas,

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.

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.