Most residents of Yerevan oppose Armenia’s fence-mending agreements with Turkey and do not look forward to the possible reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border, according to an opinion poll released by on Monday.
The government-linked Armenian Sociological Association (ASA) conducted the survey among 1,000 city residents on September 20-21, three weeks before the signing of the Turkish-Armenian protocols.
According to Gevorg Poghosian, the ASA chairman, 52.4 percent of them rejected the agreements envisaging the normalization of relations between the two countries. Only 39 percent approved of the deal, he said.
“It is obvious that at least in our republic, the public is split,” Poghosian told a news conference.
He said many Armenians feel that the administration of President Serzh Sarkisian is making too many concessions to the Turks. “For many, many of our citizens it is still not clear why we are making such concessions,” he said.
The poll, which is likely to be seized upon by Sarkisian’s opponents, suggests that even the prospect of an open with Turkey does not arouse much enthusiasm in the Armenian capital. Poghosian said only 48 percent of respondents supported border opening, while 41 percent wanted the Turkish-Armenian frontier to remain closed.
Aharon Adibekian, another well-known pollster with reputed government connections, questioned the credibility of the survey’s findings. The online news service 7or.am quoted Adibekian as saying that the poll did not take into account the opinion of those Armenians who are “indifferent” to the matter. He claimed that they make up as much 40 percent of the country’s population.
According to Gevorg Poghosian, the ASA chairman, 52.4 percent of them rejected the agreements envisaging the normalization of relations between the two countries. Only 39 percent approved of the deal, he said.
“It is obvious that at least in our republic, the public is split,” Poghosian told a news conference.
He said many Armenians feel that the administration of President Serzh Sarkisian is making too many concessions to the Turks. “For many, many of our citizens it is still not clear why we are making such concessions,” he said.
The poll, which is likely to be seized upon by Sarkisian’s opponents, suggests that even the prospect of an open with Turkey does not arouse much enthusiasm in the Armenian capital. Poghosian said only 48 percent of respondents supported border opening, while 41 percent wanted the Turkish-Armenian frontier to remain closed.
Aharon Adibekian, another well-known pollster with reputed government connections, questioned the credibility of the survey’s findings. The online news service 7or.am quoted Adibekian as saying that the poll did not take into account the opinion of those Armenians who are “indifferent” to the matter. He claimed that they make up as much 40 percent of the country’s population.