Survey: 69 pct of Turks support EU membership

Despite a stalled accession process, fully 69 percent of Turks support Turkey's European Union membership, and they see relations with the EU as the country's most important foreign policy issue, according to a recent survey. The KA Research and Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) poll, based on surveys of 1,000 Turks last December, found that the most supportive region for the country's EU membership is southeastern Anatolia with 91 percent of those polled, followed by eastern Anatolia with 87 percent. The lowest support for the country's EU membership comes from central Anatolia, with 58 percent. "Support for Turkey's EU membership in these regions can be explained by looking at political and economic factors," said the survey. "These two regions will gain from increased welfare and they will significantly benefit from Turkey's democratic transformation on the path to EU membership."