TBILISI, July 5. /TASS/. Georgian Ambassador to Kiev Georgy Zakarashvili will soon return to Tbilisi following the Ukrainian authorities’ recommendation that he leave the country for consultations on the situation regarding ex-Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili told reporters.

"The ambassador will return to Georgia in the near future. The reason behind this baffling decision is also very important. I believe that everything regarding the former president is clear, including the question of how responsible the government’s attitude is to the rights of all prisoners, including Mr. Saakashvili," the top diplomat said.

According to him, Georgia will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine and "no irresponsible decision" will make the Georgian authorities change course.

Saakashvili looked emaciated on Monday when participating via video link in a Tbilisi City Court hearing involving a case about the dispersal of a rally in 2007. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky later instructed the country’s Foreign Ministry to summon Georgian Ambassador to Kiev Georgy Zakarashvili and tell him to leave the country in 48 hours for consultations on the situation regarding Saakashvili, who also holds Ukrainian citizenship.

Four criminal cases were launched against Saakashvili in Georgia after he left the country in 2013. He was sentenced in absentia to three and six years in prison in two of the four cases. In October 2021, Saakashvili secretly arrived in Georgia but was arrested anyway. In May 2022, he was taken to the Vivamed private clinic in Tbilisi, where he has been staying ever since. The Georgian authorities believe that Saakashvili is feigning illness to get out of custody.