LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP OF TURKEY WITH THE EU

Hurriyet
June 1 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL – A recent survey by Istanbul’s BahceÅ~_ehir University
shows a big majority of Turks believe that the European Union wants to
dismantle Turkey. Yet at least half of the Turks want to see Turkey a
member of the 27 nation bloc. Another finding of the survey conducted
in 34 cities shows that anti-American sentiments are shared by people
from all walks of life

Even though three quarters of Turks believe the European Union wants
to dismantle Turkey, nearly half the population still wants the country
to become a member of the 27-nation bloc, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted by Istanbul’s BahceÅ~_ehir University on public
attitudes toward diversity, tolerance and extremism in Turkey, has
revealed the lack of knowledge among Turks about the European Union
and the country’s contradictory feelings toward the union.

One-fourth of all Turks said they do not know whether or not Turkey is
a member of the EU, according to the research led by Prof. Yılmaz
Esmer of BahceÅ~_ehir University and conducted with the British
Foreign Ministry. Twenty-eight percent said they believe that the EU
"definitely aims" to dismantle Turkey, while 48 percent thought the
dismantlement of Turkey is among the EU’s aims. Forty-four percent
said the EU aims to spread Christianity while 28 percent said the EU
definitely aims to spread Christianity.

Meanwhile, 48 percent said the EU aims to bring democracy to countries
under dictatorship and 28 percent said the EU definitely aims to
bring democracy to dictatorships.

Turks want EU membership

Forty-one percent said they want to see Turkey become an EU member,
while 16 percent said they want very much to see Turkey in the European
Union. However, 80 percent of respondents said they believe no matter
what Turkey does, the EU would not accept it as a member. The rest
reported believing that if Turkey abides by the EU rules and makes
changes in order to adapt to those rules, then the EU would take Turkey
in as a member. Seventy-six percent said they believe the fact that
Turkey is a Muslim-majority society influences the EU’s view on the
country negatively.

One of the striking findings of the survey showed how anti-American
sentiment is widespread among Turkish society across different
ideologies and age groups. "At least the U.S. has succeeded in having
the secular and religious circles agree on one thing," said Esmer,
adding that the ruling Justice and Democracy Party, or AKP, and the
main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, differ on many
issues, with the exception of anti-Americanism, on which they have
equally strong anti-American feelings.

The United States is seen as the prime responsible party for
the world’s main problems. A large majority of Turks said they
believe that dismantlement of Turkey is among the aims of the United
States. 1Two-thirds of the public said they view extremist Islamic
movements as a threat to both Turkey and the world. But a large
majority, 80 percent, also held the view that there are serious threats
in the world against Islam. Meanwhile, nine in 10 respondents said they
believe it is possible to find peaceful ways to have the rights and
the identity of Muslims accepted by the West. Eighty-two percent of
the respondents said they see the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party,
or PKK, as a serious threat to Turkey, while just 8 percent said the
PKK is not a threat. Those who said they believe that anti-democratic
initiatives pose a threat numbered 81 percent.

BRITS SURPRISED BY SURVEY

Azerbaijan and Palestine were among Turkey’s most-liked nations,
according to the survey. Among the most-disliked nations, Israel
ranked first, followed by Armenia. The United States was third,
then Greece and France. The United Kingdom came in sixth in the
ranking. The findings of the survey were discussed at a conference
Saturday. Giles Portman, the deputy head of the British Mission in
Ankara, expressed surprise about the anti-British views shared by the
Turkish nation. "Great Britain is one of the stronger supporters of
Turkey’s EU accession," he said. "But we cannot rely on the survey
completely as it shows some contradictory opinions."