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New Survey Sheds Light on Europeans' Strong Desire for Closer Ties with Russia

© Sputnik / Evgeny Biyatov / Go to the mediabankA young man paints a small Russian flag on the cheek of a girl
A young man paints a small Russian flag on the cheek of a girl - Sputnik International
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The vast majority of Germans and Poles want a rapprochement with Russia, and a greater proportion of these countries' residents consider Russia to be a part of Europe than Russians; these are just a few fascinating findings from a recent tri-national survey by Germany's Koerber Foundation.

The survey, called "Russia in Europe" Cold War in [People's] Heads?" asked 1,000 people in each of Germany, Poland and Russia a range of questions to gauge their views on international relations, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports.

The proportion of Germans who see Russia as a part of Europe has increased by 8% in comparison with a similar survey the Koerber Foundation conducted last year. This time, 56% in Germany and 57% in Poland agreed with the statement. 

However, in Russia just under half, 49%, said yes. In all countries, the most common reason given was geographical proximity, rather than economic, cultural or historical ties.

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A majority of respondents said they are in favor of closer relations between Russia and the EU. However, enthusiasm was less marked among Russians; 66% answered in the affirmative. A striking 80% of Poles and 95% of Germans said they wanted a closer relationship.

"In Russia, there is a growing awareness of a non-European identity, on the basis of a different history," Gabriele Woidelko, the Koerber Foundation's lead researcher on the topic of "Russia in Europe," interpreted the findings.

"Only a critical dialogue about similarities and differences can lead to a renewed rapprochement," she added.

​"#Russia belongs to Europe — that is what Germans and Poles think, more than Russians. Here are graphs and the results of our survey, 'Cold War in [People's Heads],'" the Koerber Stiftung tweeted.

When asked to rank their most important foreign partners, the countries gave very different answers. Germans put France first (90%), with Russia named by 78% of respondents. Russians said China (69%) is their most important partner, followed by France (62%) and Germany (61%). The majority of Poles (84%) put the US and UK at the top of the list. Given a choice of eight countries, Poles put Russia in seventh place.

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Germans and Russians differed in their attitude to Turkey; 78% of Germans said they want less cooperation with Ankara, while 52% of Russians were in favor of more cooperation.

Respondents were also asked about what the researchers termed "democratic values."

When asked if xenophobia has no place in modern society, the majority of Germans (86%) and Russians (83%) replied affirmatively. In Poland, the proportion was 57%. Regarding same-sex partnerships, 22% of Germans said they were opposed, a proportion which rose to 55% in Poland and 86% in Russia.

With regard to the media, the researchers found a "staggering" 43% of Germans, 53% of Poles and 76% of Russians believe it "should support the government and its decisions."

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