The French presidential palace has released information about a telephone conversation between President Emmanuel Macron and Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream.

According to the statement, Macron called for the release of all arbitrarily detained individuals and for respect freedom of assembly and expression.

"The President of the French Republic spoke on his own initiative with the Honorary Chairman of the Georgian Dream, Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili. He condemned both the intimidation of civil society and the opposition, as well as the violence of law enforcement agencies against peaceful demonstrators and journalists. He demanded the release of all arbitrarily detained persons and called for respect for freedom of assembly and expression. He once again expressed his disappointment at Georgia's deviation from the European course and emphasized his belief that the direction and decisions made or to be made in the future will inevitably affect relations between Georgia and the European Union. He called for an inclusive dialogue involving all political forces and civil society, respecting the European and democratic aspirations of the Georgian people, which were once again recognized," the French presidential palace stated.

The Georgian Dream released two statements about the conversation with the French President. The first statement indicated that during the hour-long telephone conversation, Macron noted that he was "concerned about the situation in Georgia and expressed his desire to contribute to its complete de-escalation." In turn, Bidzina Ivanishvili thanked the French President for his initiative and welcomed the idea of joint efforts. However, the statement did not mention that President Macron condemned the police violence against peaceful protesters and journalists, called for the release of "all arbitrarily detained persons," expressed disappointment at Georgia's deviation from the European course, and "underlined his belief that the direction and decisions made or to be made in the future will inevitably affect Georgia-EU relations."

According to the Georgian Dream, Ivanishvili and Macron agreed to speak again in the coming days to "assess the progress achieved."

Later, the Georgian Dream released a second statement, asserting that "French President Macron did indeed raise the issue of releasing the detainees," and Ivanishvili "explained that the police acted to a higher standard than European norms in response to the large-scale violence of the protesters."

"The French President did indeed raise the issue of the release of the detainees during his speech. The Honorary Chairman of the party explained to the President that the majority of the detainees are held under administrative law and that all will be released in the near future. Regarding those detained on criminal charges, Macron was informed that Georgia is a legal state, and all criminals are held accountable for their actions in accordance with the law and a high standard of evidence. Bidzina Ivanishvili also explained to the French President that the police responded to the large-scale violence of the protesters with a higher standard than European norms. Furthermore, the Honorary Chairman noted that an investigation into individual misconduct has been launched and is ongoing," reads the second statement released by the Georgian Dream.