Azernews.Az

Russia's influence is plummeting in Armenia, according to an international survey.
The tendency comes as a surprise given existing partnership between the two countries and the country's playing the role of Russia's forepost in the region. 62 per cent of Armenians polled said they disapproved of the Russian government's policy, says the poll conducted by the influential Gallup group.
In neighboring Georgia, the Kremlin's political course is supported by 22 per cent of citizens. The low approval rating is understandable in the Western-leaning nation, as Russia has leveled territorial claims against Tbilisi and imposed an embargo on the imports of Georgian goods.
As for Azerbaijan, 66 per cent of respondents spoke in favor of Russia's policy.
In Ukraine, 53 per cent of those polled said they approved of Russia's course, although relations between the two countries currently leave a lot to be desired.
Respondents in Central Asian states voiced support for Russia as well. 87 per cent of those polled in Kazakhstan and 92 per cent in Tajikistan defended Moscow's policy.
Commenting on the survey results, director of the Caucasus Media Institute Alexander Isgandarian said Russia's image was at the lowest point in Armenia. "The same survey held last year showed that the majority of Armenians sympathized with Russia."
The analyst added, however, that such surveys are often politicized. Nonetheless, he went on to provide the reasons for the fall in Russia's approval rating.
"In the past, Armenians looked up to Russia's image -- the image of the Soviet Union. People who long for those days have become Russian-leaning, regardless of the policy pursued by present-day Russian leaders. But people who lived in the Soviet times are gradually leaving the stage. For Armenian youths today, Russia is an abstract area and their sentiments toward it could be negative as well."
As another reason, Isgandarian pointed to the sharp surge of Armenians' killings in Russia. He said the Armenian population does not comprehend that outbursts of xenophobia target not only them but all non-Russian ethnicities - from Gypsies to Tajiks. "This is creating a negative background that was not observed seven to eight years ago."
Isgandarian further explained Armenians' anti-Russian attitude with Russia's raising the price for gas it sells to the country, which has driven up domestic prices for food and transportation costs.
As for Azerbaijanis' support for Russia, the Armenian pundit explained this by the large Russian community in the country.
"Unlike Yerevan, numerous newspapers and magazines are published in Baku in Russian," he concluded.