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Turks Believe Country is Meant to Join EU
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Turkey think the country’s future lies in the European Union (EU), according to a poll by USAK. 56.4 per cent of respondents share this point of view, while 23.6 per cent say the country belongs in the Turkish world.
Additionally, 10 per cent of respondents say Turkey’s future is in the Islamic world, 7.27 per cent say it will be in a Eurasian Union, and 2.73 per cent think it will be in the United States.
In October 2005, the EU officially began accession talks with Turkey. The country has been seeking inclusion for more than forty years, and filed a formal application to that effect in 1987. Since then, it has taken steps required only of members—including the establishment of a customs union—but was not accepted as a candidate state until 1999.
In October 2006, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn declared: "Our relationship with this country is schizophrenic. (...) There is in Turkey a feeling of deception, because it is thought that ‘Europeans don’t want us in the Union’. As for the Union, it is disappointed by the sluggish pace of reforms, which are not sufficiently credible, leading to suspicion in public opinion. It is a real vicious circle that I want to break and this will be difficult to do if accession negotiations are suspended."
One of Turkey’s obstacles for joining the EU is the situation of close to 12 million Kurds living in the country, a minority with limited rights. Turkey has waged a 25-year conflict with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by the EU.
Last month, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the government will extend the rights of the Kurdish minority. On Aug. 14, Erdogan declared: "By the end of the year we will begin with those measures of the Kurdish initiative that can be implemented."
Polling Data
Where does Turkey’s future lie?
|
The European Union (EU) |
56.4% |
|
Turkish world |
23.6% |
|
Islamic world |
10.0% |
|
Eurasian union |
7.27% |
|
United States |
2.73% |
Source: USAK
Methodology: Interviews with 1,110 Turkish adults, conducted in August 2009. No margin of error was provided.