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.

Irakli Kobakhidze warns opposition leaders and NGOs will be held accountable for mounting antigovernment protests.

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

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

Georgia's president said Monday that mass pro-EU protests involving tens of thousands of people showed no sign of stopping after police fired water cannon and tear gas on a fourth night of demonstrations.

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.