Cheney vows backing for Georgia, condemns Russia

By Noah Barkin and Tabassum Zakaria

TBILISI (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney vowed on Thursday to stand by Georgia in its showdown with Russia, calling Moscow's war against the ex-Soviet state an illegitimate act that cast doubt on its reliability.

Cheney, one of Moscow's harshest critics, is the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Georgia since Tbilisi tried to retake the breakaway region of South Ossetia by force in early August and was overwhelmed by the Russian military.

His typically strong comments may rile the Kremlin. Moscow has accused Washington of fuelling tensions by egging on Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, a U.S.-educated lawyer with close ties to President George W. Bush's administration.

"After your nation won its freedom in the Rose Revolution, America came to the aid of this courageous young democracy," Cheney said, referring to the peaceful revolution in 2003 which brought Saakashvili to power.

"We are doing so again as you work to overcome an invasion of your sovereign territory and an illegitimate, unilateral attempt to change your country's borders by force that has been universally condemned by the free world," Cheney said, standing next to Saakashvili on his first visit to Tbilisi.

Russian officials did not respond to the criticism from Cheney and have been dismissive about his presence in the region. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday he was not paying much attention to Cheney's trip.

Cheney, on a tour of U.S. allies in the region that started in Azerbaijan and continued in Ukraine late on Thursday, said Russia's actions had cast "grave doubt" on its intentions and reliability as a partner in the region and internationally.

Azerbaijan and Georgia are links in a Western-backed energy corridor, bypassing Russia, which the West fears could be in jeopardy following the Kremlin's military thrust into Georgia.