Press Service

Today, TNS opinion is presenting the results of its survey "Poll: A Snapshot ahead of Armenia's Presidential Elections", which describes the moods, voting preferences and motivations of the Armenian voters just before the beginning of the official electoral campaign period. For this TNS opinion poll, implemented together with their local partner IPSC, 1,607 face-to-face interviews were conducted in all 10 regions (marzes) and 12 communities of Yerevan between 15 and 20 January 2013, using the highest possible standards and extensive quality control measures, as outlined below. The poll was commissioned by European Friends of Armenia in order to contribute to a factual debate ahead of the elections.

European Friends of Armenia strongly supports the ambitious agenda outlined this week by Armenia and the EU, whereby the negotiations for a new Association Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), should be concluded before the Eastern Partnership (EaP) summit in Vilnius in November next year. The European Parliament and the Armenian National Assembly in their combined Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) positively assessed the ongoing negotiations and the connected reforms in Armenia, calling for a conclusion of the negotiations if possible before the Vilnius summit.

European Friends of Armenia strongly welcomes the unprecedented condemnations of Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian xenophobia by all European institutions and the international community. We are appalled that the open provocation and physical threat by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev against Armenia and Armenians around the world has put the Karabakh conflict to the next level of escalation. This may be in the short term internal political interest of the President, who is facing "elections" in 2013. However, given his autocratic and so far unchallenged power base, the risk for him and his country and the damage caused stand in no relation to the short-lived political gain achieved through anti-Armenian nationalism and xenophobia.