#13 - JRL 7230
BRITS, RUSSIANS COMMENT ON EACH OTHER IN A POLL

MOSCOW, JUNE 19 (RIA NOVOSTI) - Russian Information Agency Novosti, the Public Opinion foundation and Britain's MORI agency have conducted the first survey among the British and the Russians on their opinion about each other.

"This poll was carried out in the light of the Russian president's coming visit to Great Britian," reported RIA Novosti chairman of the board Svetlana Mironyuk. "We have conceived a number of activities to attract the attention of the British to this visit and to the development of bilateral relations." This poll has revealed that many stereotypes about Russia are still current in the West. "We have to give a brighter and more ample picture of Russia's achievements in the recent years," said Mironyuk. She believes Britain shows a strong interest in Russia's culture and people rather than politics and negative phenomena. "We realise that public opinion is a rather inert substance and even very intense effort will not cause fast changes in the mentality but still this kind of work will be underway," Svetlana Mironyuk noted.

She reported that RIA Novosti in association with the Public Opinion agency plans to hold such surveys in ten more countries. This will help the Russians to know more about themselves, she added.