Georgia’s interior ministry has said that 107 people were arrested during Friday’s protests in the capital Tbilisi sparked by the government’s decision to delay the former Soviet country’s bid to join the European Union.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Saturday that the state would not allow a revolution to take place, after protests against his government's sudden freezing this week of Georgia's EU accession process.

Thousands of people took to the streets after the government said it had suspended talks on joining the European Union.

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.

For the second night running, police deployed tear gas and made heavy use of water cannon against the demonstrators. Earlier, more than 100 diplomats and civil servants in Georgia signed an open letter saying the government's decision does not align with Georgia's strategic interests.

Thousands of demonstrators protesting the Georgian government's decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union rallied outside the parliament and clashed with police for a second straight night on Friday.

Police deploying water cannon and pepper spray moved against thousands of pro-European protesters massed in the centre of Tbilisi on Friday after Georgia's ruling party said it was halting EU accession talks until 2028.