If ever there was any doubt that post-revolution Georgia and Ukraine represent the model for the orientation of former soviet states towards the West, the picture is now beginning to quickly snap into focus. This week, Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko visited Georgia and signed the Borjomi Declaration with his Georgian counterpart, Mikheil Saakashvili.

We, the Presidents of Ukraine and Georgia, express our strong belief that the strengthening of democracy and civil society is one of the main tasks of and prerequisites for the economic development of our countries and our region, which set in Europe, unites the three seas - Baltic, Black and Caspian, and is gifted with an enormous potential. Democracy and stability in this region is also the condition for a lasting stability and security for whole Europe.

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Stating our intention to hold the Summit in autumn 2005, we are hereby calling on all the Leaders of the region, who share our goals, to join us in this celebration of Democratic Choice. We also invite the European Union and Russia to attend this Summit as observers in order to examine the ways in which this democratic region, as a close neighbor, can benefit the security and stability on the entire continent. We invite the United States as an observer and as a representative of the Community of Democracies.

Civil.ge has posted what might prove to be a historic declaration by the two former revolutionaries turned heads of state here. It also covers the declaration in a separate news story.

The two Presidents have already signed two similar documents in previous months. The first one, signed in January during Saakashvili’s visit to Ukraine, reiterates the two countries’ commitment to democratic development and the second one, signed in March, also in Ukraine, focuses on the nations’ strategic partnership and joint aspiration to integrate into Euro-Atlantic structures.

Saakashvili noted “historic importance” of signing the Borjomi declaration and added that the venue is symbolic as well.

“This palace [referring to Likani governmental residence] was the palace of the Russian Emperors… Later Stalin and other leaders of the Soviet empire were also spending vacations here. Only in the most horrible dreams they could see the Presidents of independent Ukraine and Georgia signing a joint declaration on democracy,” Saakashvili said.

Russia obviously figured significantly in comments made by the two pro-western leaders. In particular, Yushchenko again tried to dispel belief in Russia that revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan were stage-managed by the United States. What’s interesting for me, however, is what effect will continuing momentum in the democratization of the region have on Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Local elections are scheduled in Armenia for October and groups such as It’s Your Choice already have their doubts as to whether they will be conducted properly. In November, Azerbaijan will hold parliamentary elections and Armenians will take part in a referendum on constitutional ammendments.

Ominously, a leading figure from one party in the ruling coalition government in Armenia, Armen Rustamian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation - Dashnaktsutyun, has warned that failure to ensure open and transparent local elections in October could result in “armed clashes between supporters of rival candidates.”