Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday agreed to hold talks with two former ministers and an opposition party on the country's European course, after days of increasingly tense protests by opposition supporters.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament, throwing stones and setting off fireworks, while police deployed water cannons and tear gas.

Georgia, which has been criticized for using "excessive force" to crack down on anti-government protests, has become increasingly authoritarian, according to Western governments.

A third night of protests in the Georgian capital against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union left 44 people hospitalized, officials said Sunday.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament Saturday night, throwing stones and setting off fireworks, while police deployed water cannons and tear gas.

Police say 224 people were detained "over the past few days" of ongoing opposition mass protests following the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union. Georgia's interior ministry said Monday that 21 police officers were injured on Sunday.