Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, embraces Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko, left, during the informal summit in St. Petersburg, June 6, 2008.
Photo: Alexander Miridonov
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Belarus Is the Friendliest for Russians
Nearly a half of respondents (48 percent) in Russia called Belarus the friendly country, signaled the poll of All-Russian Center for Public Opinion Studies aimed at revealing how the residents of ex-Soviet republics treat each other.
The Russians treat very decently Kazakhstan (33 percent) and Ukraine (22 percent). What’s more, some 37 percent of respondents advocate the interstate union of Russia and Belarus, while 29 percent will unite with Ukraine and 24 percent will favor Kazakhstan.
The Baltic nations are the least popular in Russia (4 percent).
According to Eurasian Monitor Agency, 74 percent of Belarus respondents view Russia the friendliest state, while 39 percent think it is Ukraine and 23 percent choose Kazakhstan for this purpose. The least friendly are Tadjikistan (5 percent) and Estonia (4 percent). More than a half of respondents (56 percent) are willing to unite with Russia but 25 percent would rather favor the EU for it.
Russia is a friend for more than a half in Ukraine (58 percent), while 39 percent prefer Belarus there. For Ukrainians, the least friendly are Kirgizia, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan (6 percent each). As to potential union, 47 percent in Ukraine would like to close ranks with Russia, 29 percent prefer Belarus and 21 percent would rather unite with the EU.
In Georgia, 69 percent name Ukraine the friendliest nation. Azerbaijan is the next with 41 percent, and each fifth think Latvia (22 percent) and Lithuania (22 percent) the best friend. The least friendly are Kirgizia and Tadjikistan (1 percent each). As to the potential consolidation, 37 percent in Georgia would unite with the EU.
Eurasian Monitor held its poll in April through June of 2008, covering 16,143 in 13 countries worldwide. It was All-Russia’s Center for Public Opinion Studies that polled the Russians, covering 1,600 in 140 settlements. The statistic error doesn’t exceed 3.4 percent.
www.kommersant.com
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