A survey conducted in the Western Balkan countries revealed that the most admired leader in the region is President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) conducted a face-to-face survey with more than a thousand participants from each country in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia between May 10 and July 7, and questioned the views of the Balkan people on issues such as politics, economy and future perceptions. In the survey, 62 percent of the participants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 77 percent of the participants in Kosovo and 75 percent of the participants in North Macedonia expressed “positive” and very positive opinions about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. While President Erdoğan ranked “first among the liked and appreciated leaders” in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia, 54 percent of the participants in Montenegro had a positive opinion. 2nd with declaration It ranked 4th in Serbia, with 38 percent of participants expressing positive opinions.
Xi comes first in Montenegro, Putin comes first in Serbia
The most appreciated leader in Montenegro, located on the Adriatic coast of the Balkans, was Chinese President Xi Jinping, with 57 percent of participants expressing a positive opinion, while the most appreciated leader in Serbia was Russian President Vladimir Putin, with 79 percent of participants expressing a positive opinion.
US President Donald Trump ranked 4th in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the approval of 34 percent of the participants, 2nd in Kosovo with 74 percent of the votes, 4th in Montenegro with 52 percent, 2nd in North Macedonia with 66 percent, and 3rd in Serbia with 44 percent of the participants expressing a positive opinion.
Participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina said “Türkiye” is the most important ally
To the question of which country is seen as the most important ally in the survey, participants in Bosnia and Herzegovina answered as Türkiye, participants in Kosovo answered as USA, participants in Montenegro and North Macedonia answered as Serbia, and participants in Serbia mainly answered as Russia.
In the survey, “Which country do you see as the biggest threat to your country?” The participants in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo answered the question as Serbia, Montenegro and Serbia, the USA and the participants in North Macedonia mainly answered as Bulgaria.
The answers of the participants who were asked about their views on membership in the European Union were recorded as “positive” with 66 percent in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 89 percent in Kosovo, 73 percent in Montenegro, 70 percent in North Macedonia and 39 percent in Serbia. – SARAJEVO
