Saturday, September 9, 2006

The findings of the third Transatlantic Trends 2006 report, conducted in 13 countries annually by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, are striking for Turkey.

byGILA Benmayor for Turkish Daily News

The findings of the third Transatlantic Trends 2006 report, conducted in 13 countries annually by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, are striking for Turkey.
According to the poll's results, the Turkish public is “cold” about its old allies. It does not trust them or share the same views. Only 44 percent of Turks believe in the importance of NATO, the lowest percentage of all surveyed. Again, Turkey has the lowest percentage of citizens positive about the United States, with 20 percent.
According to the survey support for European Union membership is sliding along with the standoffish tendency towards NATO and the United States.. The rate of EU supporters fell to 54 percent from 73 percent in 2004.
Meanwhile, support for Iran is climbing.
This is the most crucial finding of the survey.
The number of people who have positive feelings toward Iran is highest in Turkey, at 43 percent. While 78 percent of Europeans replied “yes” to the question of whether Iran's nuclear disarmament should be supported, only 34 percent of Turks believe that efforts to obstruct Iran's nuclear ambitions should continue.
Support for a military intervention in Iran is at 10 percent.
Based on these numbers, the fund makes the evaluation that Turkey is cooling towards the United States and the EU and is positive about Iran.
There must be a number of reasons for Turkey to slide East from West in its preferences.
I can immediately cite one example: a draft report on Turkey released earlier this week by European Parliament rapporteur Camiel Eurlings filled with ridiculous ideas.
It is impossible for the report in question, reflecting the views of countries against Turkey in the European Parliament, not to encounter feelings of rage in Turkey. At the end of the day, it is true that there are increasingly more feelings of distrust and suspicion towards the West in Turkey, but if we take a look at the survey findings it becomes apparent that some ideological views have also influenced the outcome.
Anti-Western sentiment in Turkey is climbing, but are anti-Turkish views increasing in Europe?
Most certainly they are.
According to the same survey, those positive about Turkish membership in the EU have consistently dropped in the past few years, falling to 21 percent in 2006 from 30 percent in 2004. Slovakia, Holland, Germany and Spain are most negative about Turkey's EU membership. In Spain, which has until now always supported Turkey's membership in the EU, the number of individuals opposing Turkish membership has gone up by 14 percent, a rise worthy of concern.
Turkey is rapidly turning away from the West, and the rate of those who do not want us in Europe is rising.
When one looks at this picture, the call for intercultural dialogue made jointly by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül and his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in Istanbul two days ago unfortunately seem to be meaningless.

Albania for 1 euro:
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to listen to a speech by Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who is currently on a visit to Turkey and having meetings in Ankara and Istanbul, at a luncheon held at the Foreign and Economic Relations Commission (DEİK). Berisha had served as Albania's president between 1992 and 1997 and is a well-equipped political leader who can speak several foreign languages.
In addition he is a successful cardiologist, perhaps the reason behind his looking in great shape despite his 77 years.
Berisha's foremost priority as the new prime minister is to modernize his country and integrate it into the global economy. For this purpose he launched the “Albania for 1 euro” campaign with his young and well-trained advisors.
The campaign is based on selling unused public land, power stations, old factories and similar facilities that are no longer in operation to foreigners for a symbolic price of 1 euro. I gathered from his speech that Berisha's campaign is apparently working and the amount of foreign investment in Albania has been boosted.