Messenger Editorial, Georgia, May 11

The Guardian – United Kingdom
May 12, 2005

“In Georgia it can be expected that Mr Bush’s [popularity] will rise
following his visit to the country. What is less clear is whether the
visit will have any impact on Azerbaijan and Armenia – whether it
will, for example, persuade [their] peoples . . . of the benefits of
following a similar path as that taken in Georgia and Ukraine . . .

“There is no doubt that one reason for Mr Bush’s visit was to express
support for the type of political change that took place in Georgia,
and later in Ukraine. His message, it would seem, has reached the
Belarus opposition, and there is a possibility too that opposition
parties in Armenia and Azerbaijan will also have taken note.”