Arab Spring nations believe in Turkey

More than 70 percent of people in the Middle East think Turkey should play a greater role in the region, according to a recent survey conducted by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV).

“Turkey is the most favorably regarded country in the Middle East. Some 70 percent think Turkey has become more influential in recent years and 75 percent believe Turkey should play a mediatory role in the Israel-Palestine conflict,” Professor Mensur Akgün, the head of the TESEV Foreign Policy Program, told a press conference in Istanbul yesterday while presenting “The Perception of Turkey in the Middle East 2011” survey.

The survey of 2,323 people was conducted between Oct. 19 and Dec. 15, 2011, across 16 countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Tunisia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Libya.

According to the survey, 61 percent of the people in Middle Eastern countries think of Turkey as a model in the region.

Some 78 percent of those surveyed said they viewed Turkey favorably. Turkey was followed in the same category by the UAE, at 70 percent, Palestine at 66 percent, China at 65 percent, Saudi Arabia at 64 percent, Lebanon at 64 percent and Egypt at 62 percent.


/Hurriyet Daily News/