CRAWFORD, Texas – President Bush (search) plans to visit the Netherlands and the ex-Soviet republics of Georgia and Latvia in May, along with a previously announced trip to Russia to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II (search), White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Thursday.
The May 6-10 trip will mark Bush's fourth visit to Russia since entering office and his first to Latvia, the Netherlands and Georgia.
Bush will arrive in Riga on May 6 for talks with Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga (search) and will take part in a summit with leaders of the Baltic states of Estonia and Lithuania, McClellan said.
Only Latvia's president accepted Russia's invitation to attend the World War II anniversary ceremonies, saying she wanted to improve relations with Moscow, which are still strained because of the five-decade long Soviet occupation of the Baltics.
McClellan said Bush's trip to Tbilisi, Georgia, will "underscore his support for democracy, historic reform and peaceful conflict resolution."
Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili (search), who was welcomed at the White House last month, was elected in January after widespread street protests forced out longtime U.S. favorite Eduard Shevardnadze (search).
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