US Embassy calls for "restraint" amid protests outside Tbilisi parliament

The United States Embassy in Georgia has offered its reactions to the developments in Tbilisi where protesters repeatedly clashed with police, saying the diplomatic mission closely followed the events and urged for calm.

With demonstrators confronting the police throughout the night before being dispersed with tear gas, with injuries reported on both sides.

The US embassy released an announcement late in the night concerning the tense circumstances outside the Parliament of Georgia.

We are following very closely events at the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi this evening."

We recognise the hurt that many people feel today. We urge all sides to remain calm, show restraint, and act within the framework of the Constitution at all times," the comments from the embassy said.

The clashes followed demonstrations earlier in the day, when political opposition and citizen activists gathered outside the lawmaking body to protest the appearance of Russian Duma MP Sergey Gavrilov at the speaker's tribune of the parliament.

The appearance was disrupted by opposition MPs before political leaders of the opposition parties joined activists outside the parliament to demand repercussions from the government for the incident.