YEREVAN, July 22. /TASS/. In Armenia, 43% of people see relations with Russia as good, an 8% increase compared to September 2024, when only 35% held this view, according to a survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI).

When asked, "How would you assess the current state of relations with Russia?", 8% of respondents called them very good, while 34% described them as somewhat good. Conversely, 32% rated relations as somewhat bad, and 24% as very bad. Another 2% were undecided.

According to the poll, Armenia’s strongest relations today are with France (89% share this opinion), India (90%), and Iran (85%). The European Union and the United States ranked 4th and 6th out of 12 options. Notably, the share of those who view relations with the EU positively has declined since September 2024, with only 73% approving, which represents a 7% drop. A similar negative trend was observed regarding the US, where approval fell to 69% from 82% last year.

The worst-rated relations were with Azerbaijan (according to 83%), Israel (68%), and Turkey (65%).

Russia was named one of Armenia’s top three political partners, alongside Iran and France. When asked "Which country do you consider a political partner of Armenia?" 50% named Iran, 48% chose France, and 45% selected Russia.

On the EU referendum

At the same time, 27% of respondents identified Russia as a political threat to Armenia, which is the same percentage as those who see Israel that way. Turkey was seen as one by 79%, and Azerbaijan by 87%.

If a referendum on joining the EU were held this Sunday, 49% would support it, while 31% would abstain, 15% would vote against, while 5% were undecided. In September 2024, 58% were in favor of joining the EU, with 13% opposed, 25% abstaining, and 3% undecided.

Additionally, 31% of Armenians believe the country’s foreign policy should be pro-Western while maintaining ties with Russia, 26% favor a pro-Russian stance with continued Western engagement, 14% support an exclusively pro-Western course, and 8% an exclusively pro-Russian one. Another 13% preferred a different approach, while 9% were unsure.

The survey was conducted via telephone interviews across Armenia on June 16-26, 2025, with a sample of 1,505 Armenian citizens over 18, including former residents of Nagorno-Karabakh. The margin of error does not exceed ±2.5%.