Georgia’s Foreign Ministry has criticized statements by European Union representatives regarding legal proceedings before the country’s Constitutional Court, accusing them of exerting inappropriate pressure on a constitutional institution.

“Questioning the legitimacy of judicial proceedings before the case has been examined on its merits and making a preliminary assessment of the judicial process constitute an attempt to exert undue pressure on a constitutional institution and interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs,” the ministry said, according to Sputnik Georgia.

The ministry also warned that such rhetoric about Georgia’s domestic political and legal processes makes it harder to assess the situation objectively and undermines constructive cooperation between Tbilisi and Brussels.

The latest dispute follows criticism from Georgian authorities over a European Parliament resolution stating that attempts to ban political parties operating in the country would move Georgia further away from the European Union.