Azernews.Az

Half of Armenians are reportedly opposed to ratification of the reconciliation agreement signed with Turkey in October, according to a recent public opinion poll.
Only 23.5 percent of Yerevan residents are in favor of parliamentary approval of the accord on normalizing strained bilateral ties, against 49.9% of those opposing it, says the poll of 600 respondents conducted December 11-15 among communities of the Armenian capital by the Human Rights-96 party. 27 percent of those polled had difficulty answering the question, Arminfo news agency reported.
Regarding reasons for President Serzh Sarkisian’s supporting normalization of ties with Turkey, 26.5 percent of respondents cited the alleged improvement of the economic situation in Armenia, while 7.7 percent explained the efforts by what they see as restoration of peace in the volatile region. 14.3 percent of respondents commented that the people are leaving behind the consequences of the 2008 presidential election, which was followed by a wave of violence, and 34.8 percent said the president was asserting his status.
Armenia and Turkey have been at odds, and the border between the two countries has been closed, since 1993. In a bid to end long-standing hostility, the two governments signed protocols in Zurich on October 10 to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders. However, the documents require parliamentary ratification, and Ankara has made clear that it could normalize ties with Yerevan only after the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict has been fairly settled.*