The recall of the Georgian ambassador to Ukraine, where the president appointed Mikheil Saakashvili, a former president of Georgia, as head of his executive committee for reforms, does not mean that the diplomatic relations or the existing strategic partnership between the two countries will be put in doubt, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said on May 9.

"Of course, we will recall the ambassador but that does not mean we will put in doubt our diplomatic relations or strategic partnership. We are recalling our ambassador merely for consultations over how to protect this relationship from those adventurists, what to do in order to protect our strategic relations and fraternal relations with the Ukrainian people from these adventurist politicians," Gakharia told journalists on Saturday.

He expressed confidence that his country's relations with Ukraine will not be thrown into limbo because of "isolated irresponsible politicians."

He described the decision on Saakashvili's appointment as incomprehensible.

"One cannot understand when a strategic partner appoints someone, who is already convicted by the judiciary and sentenced for grave crimes, to public office," Gakharia said.

He recalled that when Saakashvili was once appointed as governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, a certain amount of effort was put in bringing the bilateral relations back to normal after "certain stories."

"I was personally involved in this, visited Kyiv in person, held meetings in person. Now we are recalling the ambassador to prevent these political adventurists from standing in the way of our brotherly and strategic relations and undermining these relations. This is what matters to us most," Gakharia said.

He also said he hoped that Saakashvili will not be allowed to meddle in Georgia's domestic affairs from Kyiv. "How will they be able to keep Mikheil Saakashvili in check, so that he would refrain from interfering in Georgia's internal affairs? I am very interested to know, and I'll be watching this," the prime minister said.