Riot police in Georgia used pepper spray and water cannons against protesters after the government suspended moves to join the European Union. Dozens of people were arrested during the tense stand-off in the capital, Tbilisi, as demonstrators refused to disperse.

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.

More than 100 serving Georgian diplomats have signed an open letter criticising the new government's suspension of EU accession talks, a diplomat said on Friday, and a protest against the move led to overnight clashes on the streets of the capital.