Tbilisi/ Moscow - US Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in
the capital of Georgia on Thursday in a show of support for the pro-
Western government after Russian troops pushed into the former Soviet
state in a brief war over its separatist regions.
'I bring a message of friendship from the people of the United
States ... from a firm ally President George W Bush,' Cheney said at
joint press conference with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
He praised Saakshvili for his 'fearless response to Russia's
occupation' and affirmed Georgia had a 'faithful and sturdy partner
in America.'
Cheney is the highest ranking US official to visit Georgia since
the fighting in mid-August, and his visit wais timed to coincide with
Washington's announcement that it was boosting aid by 1 billion
dollars to the former Soviet republic.
The US vice president is a vocal critic of the Kremlin and his
visit was sure to raise hackles in Moscow, which charges that
Washington baited US-educated Saakashvili to initiate the five-day
conflict.
In language reminiscent of the Cold War, Cheney denounced Russia's
attempts to 'change by force' the territorial boundaries of Georgia,
saying, 'It is the responsibility of the free world to rally on the
side of Georgia.'
It is Cheney's first-ever visit to Georgia and the second day of a
tour that saw him in Azerbaijan on Wednesday and flying to Ukraine
for talks Friday.
The trip marks US interests in East European and Caucasus states
that host alternative energy pipelines to Europe bypassing Russia.
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