ARMENIA POPULATION FOR JOINING NATO

PanARMENIAN.Net - If the sociological survey held by the Armenian Center for Strategic and International Research a year ago showed the majority of the population of Armenia have a negative attitude to Armenia's accession to the NATO, the situation has changed now, Center experts stated in the course of a news conference. The latest survey of 40 experts and 1500 respondents throughout Armenia showed that 35% of them were for accession to the NATO, while 33.4% were against. As the Center experts noted, it is not surprising that experts are for accession to the NATO, however the change of the opinion of the population is really noteworthy. 60% of survey participants consider that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is the main factor of influence upon Armenia from the outside. The factor of «illegitimate authorities» occupies the second place. According to an analysis done by expert Stepan Safaryan, if the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and regional conflict on the whole was considered urgent within the context of paving way for oil routes, now when the issue of the routes is solved, resolution of conflicts is considered «within the context of reduction of Russia's influence.» «If these conflicts are settled, the so-called «big game» will finish resulting in expelling one of the competing forces from the region,» Safaryan remarked. Besides, in experts' words, the US conveys resolution of the Karabakh conflict to the EU, including it in the Europeanization context. «Europe agenda already provides for bases for conveying the conflict to the Europeanization context, as well as transferring it from the management phase to the phase of resolution.» Answering the question which country has most influence in Transcaucasian country, the majority of respondents says the US is the unique leader in Azerbaijan and especially Georgia, while Russia is that in Armenia. «The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline that overpasses Armenia will result in strengthening the Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan union and isolation of Armenia,» 65% of experts and 48% of the population consider. The most common answer to the question why Armenia's accession to the NATO is expedient is that saying the NATO is the most efficient security structure. Expediency for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to be part of the same security structure is an answer occupies the second place.