Turkey's popularity in middle east still high

A Turkish Economic and Social Research Foundation (TESEV) survey titled "Perception of Turkey in the Middle East, 2012" has found that Turkey is still popular in the region, although figures had fallen compared to previous years. The findings of the joint survey conducted by TESEV and KA Research Company were released at a press conference in Istanbul yesterday. According to results of the survey, which was conducted in all Middle Eastern countries except Israel, Morocco, Algeria and Sudan, the overall approval rating of Turkey was 69 percent. Can Peker, the president of TESEV, said that the survey results show that "Turkey is still an acceptable actor in the region from which there are expectations." In a detailed presentation of the figures in the survey, TESEV's foreign policy program director, Sabiha Senyucel Gundogar, summarized the issues and countries that stood out in the research, which was conducted in August via phone interviews. One interesting finding of the survey was the perception of sectarianism in the region. Although Gundogar emphasized that there is no sectarian lens in Turkey when looking at the Middle East, she directed attention to the existence of such a perception due to the 28 percent of people who felt that that Turkey pursues a sectarian policy in the Middle East. Gundogar said, "We do not perceive the Middle East from a sectarian lens, but any statement by Turkey goes through a sectarian sieve in the region," adding that "Turkey used to be perceived as more neutral, but it took part in the Syrian conflict and when you take sides, the other party could become sensitive." According to the survey, Israel maintained its traditional spot as the number one threat to the region with the exception of Iran and Iraq, while respondents considered the US as the biggest security threat.