North Macedonia citizens no longer see Greece as threat, survey finds
The citizens of North Macedonia no longer consider Greece as a threat to their country but they remain concerned about Bulgaria and Russia, a survey of five Balkan countries has found.
The opinion poll, conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI), also found that Albanians consider Greece a serious threat to their country.
The poll was held in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania in February and March of this year.
For the first time, the survey, which was been conducted for over four decades in the region, found that Greece is no longer among the five countries that the citizens of North Macedonia perceive as a threat.
In recent years, Bulgaria had opposed North Macedonia’s accession to the European Union.
Bulgaria and Russia are viewed as the greatest threat to North Macedonia by 23% and 12% of respondents, respectively.
On the other hand, 9% of Albanians deem Greece to be a threat, after Serbia (36%) and Russia (32%).
In terms of perceived allies, Greece was deemed an ally only by Serbian respondents (3%).
A vote on joining the EU would enjoy the support of an overall majority in four of the five countries, with the exception of Serbia, where only 40% support the idea.
Albania (92%) and Kosovo (89%) respondents were the most enthusiastic about joining the EU.
