MOSCOW – Standing before tens of thousands of cheering Georgians in the capital, Tbilisi, President Bush yesterday hailed the former Soviet republic’s young democracy as a “beacon of liberty” that is inspiring people around the world to rise up against oppression.

Speaking in Freedom Square – the focal point of the “Rose Revolution” that installed a pro-Western government in 2003 – Mr. Bush promised American support for the tiny country in the Caucasus Mountains.

“You gathered here armed with nothing but roses and the power of your convictions, and you claimed your liberty. And because you acted, Georgia is today both sovereign and free and a beacon of liberty for this region and the world,” he said. “The path of freedom you have chosen is not easy. But you will not travel it alone.”

Mr. Bush has made promoting democracy abroad a cornerstone of his second term and yesterday repeated calls for peaceful revolutions against repressive regimes.

“In recent months, the world has marveled at the hopeful changes taking place from Baghdad to Beirut to Bishkek. But before there was a Purple Revolution in Iraq or an Orange Revolution in Ukraine or a Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, there was a Rose Revolution in Georgia,” he said. “Now across the Caucasus, in Central Asia and the broader Middle East, we see the same desire of liberty burning in the hearts of young people. They are demanding their freedom, and they will have it.”

He also praised Georgia for sending about 900 troops to serve with American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The speech was certain to rile the Kremlin, which has accused America of supporting regime changes among its neighbors in order to weaken Russian influence.

Mr. Bush also supported Georgia yesterday in its dispute with two independent-minded regions supported by Moscow, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia. “The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia must be respected … by all nations,” he said.

Yesterday’s speech capped off a four day trip for Mr. Bush that included stops in Latvia, the Netherlands, Moscow, and Georgia. With his visits to Latvia and Georgia – both ex-Soviet republics antagonistic to the Kremlin – Mr. Bush appeared to be balancing his presence at celebrations in Moscow marking the 60th anniversary of the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany. While Mr. Bush continues to refer to Russia’s President Putin as a close friend, he has grown increasingly critical of Russia backsliding on democracy and supporting undemocratic regimes in the former Soviet Union.

The visit was the first to Georgia by a sitting American president. Mr. Bush delivered his speech before an enormous crowd, and though estimates of the crowd size varied from less than 100,000 to more than 300,000, Georgian officials said it was by far the largest-ever gathering in the country of 4.5 million.

The Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, introduced Mr. Bush as “a leader who contributed as much to the cause of freedom as any man of our time…. We welcome a freedom fighter.”

The American-educated one-time New York lawyer who led the Rose Revolution, Mr. Saakashvili, is seeking Western help as he tries to lift his country out of extreme poverty, corruption, and regional infighting.

At a press conference before the speech, Mr. Bush promised to help Georgia in its efforts to join NATO and the European Union. He said Mr. Saakashvili was welcome to phone him anytime to seek his help.

He also said that Moscow had nothing to fear from American support for democracy among its neighbors.

“When you have peaceful countries on your border, you benefit,” Mr. Bush said. “I’m sure that Russia will recognize the benefits of having democracies on her borders.”

But Mr. Bush was careful not to wade too deeply into Georgia’s conflicts with its powerful neighbor and former imperial master. Asked about American intervention in Georgia’s breakaway provinces, Mr. Bush said: “The United States cannot impose a solution, nor would you want us to,” he said.

Mr. Bush also avoided openly backing Georgia in its dispute with Russia over the presence of 3,000 Russian troops on Georgian soil. The Kremlin contends the soldiers are acting as peacekeepers along the internal borders of Georgia’s rebellious provinces, where violence routinely breaks out. Georgia accuses Russia of repeatedly reneging on promises to remove the troops.