(CNBC) EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana called for restraint on Wednesday in Georgia as riot police clashed with anti-government protestors in the former Soviet republic.
"Political differences should be resolved within the democratic institutions," Solana said in a statement.
"All sides should therefore resume the dialogue and refrain from actions that contribute to tensions," he added. "This is the best way out of the crisis." Georgian police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons in battles with protestors, plunging the country's capital Tbilisi into chaos.
All day, hundreds of riot police in black body armour clashed with demonstrators demanding the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili, who came to power in the peaceful 2003 Rose Revolution.
European Commission spokeswoman Christiane Hohmann also called on "all involved parties to use the maximum of restraint.
"We hope that the situation will be resolved in full respect for democratic principles and respect for fundamental liberties," she added.
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