You're reading: Poll: Belarus, Kazakhstan are Russia’s most reliable partners

Moscow, December 14 (Interfax) - Belarus and Kazakhstan are Russia's most reliable partners, a poll conducted by Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) has found.

Polled in November, forty-three percent of respondents said that Belarus was Russia’s best partner, while 31% named Kazakhstan and 8% Armenia, the center said.

Azerbaijan and Ukraine polled 4% each, and Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan received 3% each. Tajikistan gained 2%, and Georgia 1%.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is trusted the most amongst Russians (33%). Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev follows with 28%. Azeri President Ilham Aliyev has 6%, Uzbek President Islam Karimov and Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow 5% each, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev 4%, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan 3%, Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko has 3%, and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon and Moldovan Acting President Mihai Ghimpu received 2% each.

Only 1% of those polled said they had confidence in Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

The poll found that Russian see Belarus (41%) and Kazakhstan (29%) as the most stable and successful countries in the CIS. Azerbaijan gained 9%, Armenia 8%, Turkmenistan 6%, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Uzbekistan 5%, Georgia 3%, and Tajikistan 2%.

Twenty-four percent of the respondents said that Belarus was most successfully coping with the economic crisis. The rating is 14% for Kazakhstan. Other CIS countries gained three percent or less.