Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Iranian vice president Mohammad-Reza Rahimi and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during a welcome ceremony in Tehran. (File photo)
More than half of all Turks believe the country should have nuclear weapons if Iran develops its own nuclear arsenal, according to an opinion poll released Wednesday.
A total of 53.9 percent of respondents said Turkey should have its own nuclear weapons in case of a nuclear threat from Iran, rather than rely on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for protection, the survey conducted by Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies said.
A total of 53.9 percent of respondents said Turkey should have its own nuclear weapons in case of a nuclear threat from Iran, rather than rely on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for protection, the survey conducted by Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies said.
Nearly 35 percent of those surveyed said Turkey should not developed nuclear weapons under any conditions, while eight percent said NATO's security umbrella was sufficient to ward off a threat.
Turkey, a northwestern neighbour to Iran, has the second largest army in NATO and has recently set up an early-warning radar shield to protect NATO allies from nuclear attacks, particularly from Iran.
Although Turkish officials frequently claim that the radar does not target any country but is a measure of defence, the newly implemented security system chilled ties between Ankara and Tehran.
The survey was conducted nationwide among 1,500 participants, aged over 18.
Turkey, a northwestern neighbour to Iran, has the second largest army in NATO and has recently set up an early-warning radar shield to protect NATO allies from nuclear attacks, particularly from Iran.
Although Turkish officials frequently claim that the radar does not target any country but is a measure of defence, the newly implemented security system chilled ties between Ankara and Tehran.
The survey was conducted nationwide among 1,500 participants, aged over 18.
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