EU says Georgia may risk sanctions if it abandons democracy

FILE PHOTO: A participant holds a EU flag during a procession in support of Georgia's membership in the European Union in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 9, 2023. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/ File Photo

TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's ties with the European Union will suffer and it may even face sanctions if it veers away from democracy, the EU ambassador to Tbilisi said on Friday.

Pawel Herczynski said the EU was prepared to work with any democratically elected government in Georgia, which holds a parliamentary election on Oct. 26. But he said it would not accept the South Caucasus country as a member if it became a "one-party state" with no political opposition.