Macron condemned the intimidation and violence against protest participants that arose after the official Tbilisi's refusal of Eurointegration and called for the release of all those who were unlawfully detained.
"The President once again expressed regret that Georgia has deviated from its European path and reaffirmed his belief that the relationship between the European Union and Georgia will inevitably depend on the decisions made or to be made [by the Georgian authorities]," the statement said.
The press service of the "Georgian Dream" reported on the dialogue before the Élysée Palace. They emphasized that the conversation was initiated by Macron, who expressed a desire to assist in resolving the crisis, but did not mention the demand to release the detainees.
After the French side published a report on the conversation, the ruling party released an addendum regarding Macron's call to free the protesters.
"During the conversation, the President of France indeed raised the issue of releasing the detainees. The honorary chairman of the party explained to the President that most of those detained were arrested administratively and that all of them would be released shortly. As for individuals detained on criminal charges, it was clarified to Macron that Georgia is a rule-of-law state and that anyone guilty is held accountable for their crimes in accordance with the law and high standards of evidence. Bidzina Ivanishvili also explained to the French president that the police acted in response to mass violence from the participants of the protest according to standards exceeding European ones," the party's press service wrote.
Protest-supporting President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili, who did not recognize the victory of "Georgian Dream" in the recent parliamentary elections, has met with Macron twice in recent months.
Prior to the meeting at the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral on December 7, she visited him for negotiations in Paris on October 3, which the French leader announced on Facebook.