TBILISI: The European Union was set to moderate talks between Georgia’s government and opposition on Monday to defuse a political crisis that deepened with the arrest of an opposition leader last week.

The nation in Europe’s extreme southeast has been in the grip of a crisis since parliamentary elections in October, which the opposition has denounced as rigged.

Last week’s arrest of Nika Melia, leader of the largest opposition party United National Movement (UNM), further exacerbated the tensions.

On a visit to the capital Tbilisi, European Council President Charles Michel said he was “deeply concerned” about the crisis.

“I have called on all parties to de-escalate and come together to relaunch the political dialogue and I’ve invited them to (a) meeting tonight,” he said at a joint news conference with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

He said the time had come for the EU to moderate the talks.

Both Garibashvili and opposition leaders confirmed their participation in the meeting, which was due to take place on Monday evening.

“Any politicisation of justice is unacceptable and we all know that some concrete cases should be addressed,” Michel said in an apparent reference to Melia’s detention.

Melia, who has united Georgia’s opposition forces, has been charged with organising mass violence during anti-government protests in 2019 — a prosecution he says is politically motivated.

He is in pre-trial detention after refusing to pay an increased bail fee. His arrest has sparked mass anti-government protests and strong condemnation from the United States and EU.

Opposition parties have refused to enter the new parliament, tarnishing the legitimacy of the Georgian Dream party’s government. In power since 2012, the ruling party has seen its popularity fall over a failure to address economic stagnation and perceived backsliding on commitments to democracy.