(ANSA) - LJUBLJANA - Low levels of trust in public diplomacy
as a means to solve open questions, favorable approach to the
reintroduction of conscription, which was suspended in 2003,
steady opposition to increase public expenditure for defense to
2% of GDP. These are some of the outcomes of an opinion poll
conducted by Delo, the most reputable Slovenian daily, which
surveyed people on several issues ranging from the role of
military forces in Slovenia and NATO to that of diplomacy to
find a solution for the pending question of the Slovenian
minority in Austria, a widely-debated topic that dominates the
political agenda these days and catches the headlines. While the
North-Atlantic organization is perceived favorably among the
majority of respondents, who also accept its current role and
mission, more than 60% are against increasing public expenditure
for defense reasons, especially among women and unemployed
people, and are instead in favor of a common European defense
force. Besides, it is widespread the perception that a better,
more efficient organization of the military forces will
invariably increase the safety and control of the whole
territory, which is now a transit area of the migrants' route.
For this reason, 57% of people interviewed would welcome the
reintroduction of the obligatory military service. However, the
most heated debate is related to the destiny of the Slovenian
minority in Carinthia, Austria, with more than 50% feeling
outraged by the decision to exclude Slovenian as one of the two
regional official languages. However, only one third of
respondents are confident that Erjavec and his diplomatic
efforts will succeed in preserving the bilingual status of
Carinthia. (ANSA).
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