Counterspin: Without an Argument, Apasiev Spins that People are Pro-Russian

Regardless of the shortcomings, the findings of public opinion surveys remain one of the most relevant arguments when opinions are expressed or when the orientation of the citizens is concerned. Several surveys lead to the conclusion that there are pro-Russian feelings in the RNM, and they are not to be neglected. It is also a fact however, that the majority of citizens are pro-Western and pro-EU oriented, with a strong emphasis on Germany and the USA as the most preferred individual partners. According to the latest IRI survey, Turkey is dangerously coming close

 

Author: Teofil Blazevski

 

The President of Levica and Member of the Parliament of the RNM, Dimitar Apasiev, in a TV debate was spinning the truth by saying, among other things, that the people in our country “were pro-Russian”:

Spin: They (the authorities-our note) think they are hurting us, but essentially Levica articulates what the people think – They say, hey, you are pro-Russian! No, it’s the people who are pro-Russian, not Levica. We only talk about this global clash… a clash between the West in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia as one of the World powers.

[Source: 24 TV/Argument Plus – D. Apasiev (36 min.); Date – 19.12.2022]

Counterspin: The leader of Levica, Dimitar Apasiev, with no argument whatsoever, communicated to the public the claim that the people were pro-Russian, and that Levica only articulated the opinion of the people, thereby twisting the truth and creating a spin.

This was what Apasiev answered when asked whether Levica and its followers were bothered by the fact that the Government and SDSM increasingly qualify the party as having deep ties to Russia, that they represent Russian views and that they, in general, were seen as Russian players and a pro-Russian party.

Regardless of the fact that his intention was to show that such labeling did not bother the party – rather the opposite – the spin was obvious because of two essential things that Apasiev said. First, he generalized that the whole nation was pro-Russian without a specific argument, and second, and again without a specific argument, he did not mention whether or in which segment the people were pro-Russian – whether in general or specifically for certain issues such as language familiarity, Slavism, religion… although, he did clarified that he was referring to the global conflict between the West and Russia in terms of the war in Ukraine. But, even if he was only referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – with any argument – Apasiev’s statement can only be considered a spin.

Such claims need backing with facts that cannot be based on feelings, public conversations, discussions with peers and friends, etc. First by relevance are the facts that are substantiated by the public opinion polls.

And just when Apasiev uttered this spin, the extensive and serious research of the American International Republican Institute – IRI was published. The survey is conducted twice a year in the country with detailed segments on the Government’s foreign policy, but also people’s opinion on whether and which countries in the world are compatible with national interests.

According to this survey (pages 66-69), Russia is second last, along with China when answering the question: “which of these countries (including the EU) help the Macedonian national interests the most”. Russia and China were selected by 4 percent of the respondents each. Turkey was at the first place with 22 percent, followed by the EU as a whole with 21 percent, Germany third and the United States at the fourth place, after which follow Russia and China, and at the end the answer “no one” etc…) The same is true with the slightly reformulated question about which countries should maintain relations in the direction of serving national interests, and quite obvious are the answers to the question what kind of foreign policy should the country have – 47 percent believe in the EU and the West, while 26 percent like pro-Western politics, but want the relations with Russia to be maintained, 9 percent want pro-Russian relations but also maintaining the relations with the EU and the West, and only 4 percent are exclusively oriented toward Russia.

At the same time Deutsche Welle published a survey by Gallup International conducted in the period August-October in over 60 countries, including the RNM where the most desirable partners in the country are the EU and the USA – EU from an economic aspect 28 percent, and USA from a security aspect, 29 percent. The same survey states that from an economic viewpoint, 19 percent of the respondents saw Russia as a desirable partner, while from a security viewpoint, 23 percent.

According to the findings of the public opinion poll, the West collectively (USA and EU together) a high 52% of the respondents in the RNM prefer them as economic partners, and 57% of the respondents as partners in the field of security, 31% percent prefer Russia and China (together) as desirable economic partners, and 29% as desired partners in the field of security, reports Deutsche Welle.

Regarding the second question, Apasiev’s clarification about people’s opinion on the relations between the West and Russia in context of Ukraine, another survey needs to be mentioned conducted by the international company IPSOS for the needs of VMRO-DPMNE in mid-April, which is about two months after the Russian aggression on Ukraine and published in the middle of May 2022. The answers to the question “Which side do you support in the war in Ukraine?” were as follows:

According to the survey, 29 percent of the respondents answered that they supported Ukraine, 13 percent favoured Russia, and 10 percent were for both sides. The largest number of respondents answered that they did not support either of the two parties at war, and 10 percent answered that they did not know who to support.

At the end of last month – to be fair with the surveys performed – MKD.mk published a survey of the national agency Market Vision, according to which, the majority of citizens did not agree with the sanctions against Russia implemented by the Government, as well as with the deliveries of weapons to Ukraine from the arsenal of the Macedonian Army.

Even if one was to consult older surveys from 2020 – two years prior to the war in Ukraine – such as the IDSCS survey that stated that the support for Russia has grown even though the majority support the EU and the West, the conclusion is that:

While the support for Russia still remains below the degree of approval for the European Union or the perceived support received from the USA, a good quarter of the respondents consider membership in the Eurasian Union as a viable alternative to EU membership and that such a strong signal should be sent to Brussels (or Paris, for that matter (p.8).

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Regardless of the shortcomings, the findings of public opinion surveys remain one of the most relevant arguments when opinions are expressed or when the orientation of the citizens is concerned. Several surveys lead to the conclusion that there are pro-Russian feelings in the RNM, and they are not to be neglected. It is also a fact however, that the majority of citizens are pro-Western and pro-EU oriented, with a strong emphasis on Germany and the US as the most preferred individual partners. According to the latest IRI survey, Turkey is dangerously coming close. Hence, Apasiev’s claim that “the people are pro-Russian” is a distortion of the truth, i.e. a spin.

 

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This article has been produced within the project Fact-Checking the Progress of North Macedonia towards the EU, implemented by the Metamorphosis Foundation. The article, originally published by Truthmeter,, is made possible by the support of the American non-profit foundation NED (National Endowment for Democracy). The content of this article is the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Metamorphosis, NED or their partners.

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