56.7 Percent Poles Want Russia's President To Visit Poland

As many as 56.7 percent of the Poles would like Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Poland in the near future, says a poll conducted by Poland's Public Research Center. According to a poll of the Moscow International Sociological Research Center, commissioned by RIA Novosti, nearly the same number of Russians -- 55 percent -- said "yes" to the same question with regard to a visit by the Polish president. The polls were held in the runup to the Russian president's visit to Poland, scheduled for the middle of January. The poll in Poland showed that 30.8 percent of Poles have a liking toward the Russians, 23 percent treat them "with respect" and 16.3 percent, "with interest". Asked "Would you like to visit Russia?", 58.2 percent of Poles said "yes". 39.7 percent of Poles believe that the relations between Russia and Poland have improved in comparison with the Communist era. As regards factors conducive to the present-day development of relations between Russia and Poland, 34 percent of Russians mentioned economic cooperation and 19 percent, "long-time historical contacts".