Bush Says Cold War Over

U.S. President George W. Bush has again reiterated Washington’s strong support to Georgia and warned Russia its actions may lead to its isolation.

“A Cold War is over,” he said on August 15. “The old days of satellite states and spheres of influence are behind us.”

He said that Georgia was a democracy, but “unfortunately, Russia has tended to view the expansion of freedom and democracy as a threat to its interests.”

“Only Russia can decide whether it can put itself back on the path of responsible nations or continue to pursue the policy that promises only confrontation and isolation,” Bush said. “To begin to repair relations with the United States, Europe and other nations and to begin restoring its place in world, Russia must respect the freedom of its neighbors.”

“A contentious relationship with Russia is not in America’s interest and a contentious relationship with America is not in Russia’s interest. With these actions of recent days Russia has damaged its credibility and its relations with the nations of the free world.”

He reiterated that the support towards “people of Georgia and democratically elected government” and added that “Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected.”

“Moscow must honor its commitment to withdraw its invaded forces from all Georgian territory,” Bush said.