26 November 2009 | EU candidate Turkey has been striving to persuade skeptics about the virtue of building cultural bridges. A new survey, however, suggests this may not be the most convincing card in Ankara's hand.

As Turkey campaigns to build support in the EU for its membership bid, its leaders and diplomats have been portraying the country as a model for tolerance and multiculturalism.

"In Turkey, synagogues, mosques and churches have co-existed peacefully for centuries," Turkey's chief negotiator with the EU, Egemen Bagis, said earlier this month. "Turkey provides an intercultural bridge, preventing polarisation and demonstrating that Islam and democracy can co-exist."

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sounded similar notes in a June speech. "We believe that Turkey's membership to the EU provides a valuable opportunity for the encounter of societies with different beliefs and cultures, and bringing civilisations together," he said.

Nevertheless, the European public remains unconvinced. A recent survey, conducted in five EU member states, found the "intercultural" theme may not resonate, and some analysts question whether this is the best angle for the negotiating team to pursue.

The poll was conducted by Bogaziçi University Centre for European Studies, with a sample group of 5,000 people in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Poland. Participants were asked how they define European identity, how and to what extent they know about Turkey and Turkish culture, whether they have positive or negative feelings about Turkey and whether they support or oppose Turkey's membership to the EU.

The survey found that if an EU referendum on Turkish membership were to be held now, the bid would fail. Only 41% of respondents backed the idea, and 52% gave the thumbs down.

Cultural differences remain the biggest source of doubt, the responses show. Those opposed to Turkey joining the EU see Turkey as the Muslim "odd man out" in a predominantly Christian bloc. In general, the survey suggests that Europeans are still evaluating Turkey's membership in terms of the country's culture.

Those who favour membership associate the country with music, food and tourism, while opponents see it mostly in terms of religion. Young people between the ages of 18 and 24 mostly support Turkish EU membership, as do people with college degrees. Least supportive were respondents older than 65.

Meanwhile, those who back membership do so not because of the potential for bridging faiths, but for strategic reasons -- that is, because the country could enhance the EU's influence on the Middle East, and because of the country's possible military contribution to European security.
Related Articles

Turkey reminds Europeans of their long-buried issues of religion and secularism, says survey co-ordinator, Hakan Yilmaz. According to him, stressing peacemaking and interfaith efforts can actually backfire by bringing religious and cultural issues to the forefront.

"As Turkey emphasises religion and religious culture, the wound at the base of the European opposition to Turkey is scratched," Yilmaz says. "If Turkey bases her arguments on political and legal grounds -- in terms of democracy or pacta sund servanda (promises must be kept) -- it would be more effective in convincing the European public."

Indeed, survey respondents were asked whether the EU should remain loyal to its promises of full membership to Turkey or not. A decisive majority -- nearly 58% -- deemed it unfair to go back on those pledges.

The poll found that Europeans see Turkey in a mostly favourable light, even if they harbor doubts about membership. No less than 68.5% of respondents indicated they have a positive opinion about Turkey, while only a quarter view the country negatively.

*This text is courtesy of the Southeast European Times (SET), a web site sponsored by the US Department of Defense in support of UN Resolution 1244, designed to provide an international audience with a portal to a broad range of information about Southeastern Europe. It highlights movement toward greater regional stability and steps governments take toward integration into European institutions. SET also focuses on developments that hinder both terrorist activity and support for terrorism in the region.

Read more about Turkey on BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's tips to organize your trip to Turkey