MOSCOW. March 4 (Interfax) - Russians are not unanimous in their attitudes to Georgia, but an increasing number have seen an improvement of bilateral relations, the Public Opinion Foundation said, quoting a February poll of 1,500 respondents in 43 regions.
Associations differ: 12% associate Georgia with beautiful landscapes and resorts, 8% with Georgian wine and Borjomi mineral water, 8% with hostilities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and 7% with Russia-Georgia tensions.
Some 46% are indifferent to Georgia; the number has not changed since the previous poll held in 2011. Meanwhile, the percentage of Russians who have good feelings for Georgia has grown from 28% to 37%. There were 11% of negative answers or 10% less than in 2011 (21%).
Forty-two percent described Georgia-Russia relations as bad and 17% called them good. Some 41% failed to answer the question.
Twenty-three percent declared positive trends in bilateral relations, as against 7% in 2011. The respondents quoted as positive examples the prospective lift of the ban on Georgian wine and mineral water (8%), change of administration in Georgia (6%) and Russian-Georgian negotiations (3%).
Some 42% said there was no change in Russia-Georgia relations (52% in 2011) and 5% alleged deterioration (15% in 2011). Pessimistic respondents lamented lack of bilateral understanding (1%), the inadequate policy of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili (1%) and related media reports (1%).