Georgia's ex-president and the former governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, Mikheil Saakashvili, will address participants in a congress of the United National Movement party, founded by him, which is scheduled to take place in Tbilisi on Friday afternoon, from Washington, Georgian media said.

One of the leaders of the United National Movement branch in Ajaria, Elguja Bagrationi, told reporters that around 750 delegates from Ajaria would attend the party's congress in Tbilisi.

Saakashvili and Ajaria's former head Levan Varshalomidze will address the congress delegates from Washington, he said.

It was reported earlier that the United National Movement had split and a large number of its leaders had quit the party deciding to set up a political force that would be independent of Saakashvili.

Saakashvili has been put on the wanted list in Georgia. The country's authorities have said more than once that he will be detained as soon as he crosses the Georgian state border.