Turks angry with US, EU over lack of cooperation against terrorism
by Daily Sabah
ANKARADec 12, 2016 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Daily Sabah
Dec 12, 2016 12:00 am
A survey carried out by A&G on Nov. 26-27 throughout Turkey's 42 provinces and involving some 3010 participants has revealed strong antipathy toward the European Union and the United States due to their lack of support for Turkey in its fight against terrorism.
Especially in the aftermath of the July 15 failed coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the public began to question the position of Turkey's Western allies over their controversial remarks.
The public perception against the EU has also altered widely, particularly after the European Parliament's (EP) vote to freeze Turkey's EU accession. The survey also revealed that 83.7 percent of the participants did not believe the U.S. was "an ally and a friend," while 61.1 percent did not perceive the EU as "an ally and a friend."
In fact, more than 80 percent of the supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) did not think of the U.S. as an ally and a friend of Turkey. In contrast, 70.9 percent favored Turkey's dialogues with Russia.
Regarding Turkey's ongoing battle against terrorism, the recently conducted survey revealed an overwhelming 81.3 percent support from the public for the government's policy on counterterrorism.
Despite Western criticisms of Turkey's efforts to overcome domestic and international terrorism, the latest survey showed a record all-time high support from the Turkish public.
According to another A&G survey conducted back in Feb 2016, support was at 61 percent, however within a 10-month period it reached 81.3 percent.
While 96.9 percent of AK Party voters and 82.2 percent of the MHP voters responded in favor of counter-terrorism operations, 93.5 percent of the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) supporters did not favor the anti-terror efforts.
With strong public support toward the government's counter-terrorism policies, there is also strong public confidence as 71.4 of people thought the operations will be successful. Besides Turkey's domestic counterterrorism efforts, the public also favored the country's efforts beyond its borders, with some 63.5 percent respondents approving government's position on Mosul.
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