by Natasha Pavlopoulou

ATHENS, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The opinion of Greek citizens about six countries of the world, as well as the European Union and its leaders, regarding their stance towards Greece, is reflected in the results of a survey released here on Monday.

The latest Pulse RC survey that was commissioned by local Kathimerini (Daily) newspaper, found that France and China are the two countries most admired by Greeks.

The traditional ally France occupies the first place, with six out of ten Greeks positively assessing the country's attitude towards Greece today (63 percent).

China which has invested heavily in the local economy in recent years follows by 54 percent, whereas the United States is ranked third in the survey with 49 percent.

According to the authors of the survey, the positive opinion for both France and China could be explained by the mentality of the Greeks and the multiculturalism of Greek society, a mixture of Western and Eastern cultural characteristics, Kathimerini noted.

Public opinion may have also been affected by the fact that both countries have systematically expressed support for Greece.

Russia, Germany and Turkey occupy the last positions respectively, according to the survey.