ISTANBUL , Turkey -- Nearly two months ago , President Obama embarked on a two-day , two-city charm offensive in Turkey , a predominantly Muslim country and NATO military ally whose people give the United States abysmal approval ratings . President Obama listens at a town hall-style meeting in Istanbul , Turkey , in April . The American president toured a mosque , laid a wreath at the grave of the founder of the Turkish republic , and announced before the Turkish parliament that `` the United States is not and will never be at war with Islam . '' Did Obama 's new brand of diplomacy work ? Could 48 hours of handshakes , speeches and smiles turn around Turkish public opinion ? After all , in 2007 , only 9 percent of Turks polled by the Pew Research Center held favorable views of America , the lowest level among 47 countries surveyed . If 24-year old Ece Basaran is any indicator , Obama succeeded beyond expectations . After attending a town hall-style meeting with the American president during his visit to Istanbul last April , Basaran and a group of her friends started up a Turkish-American friendship club at her university . `` I get positive feedback because everybody around me likes Obama , '' Basaran said , while taking a break from preparing for final exams at Istanbul 's Bahcesehir University this week . Basaran said that as recently as last year , the United States was unpopular among fellow students and friends , but added that `` after Obama , it seems popular . At least the negative image began to fade away . '' Officials and commentators in both Turkey and the United States are also calling Obama 's first presidential visit to a Muslim country a positive step . `` At the moment , he 's doing the right thing , '' said Suat Kiniklioglu , a member of the Turkish parliament . `` His first task was to remedy the situation of America wielding a big stick for the last eight years . '' `` President Obama 's visit and recent policy initiatives have managed to dispel some of the pervasive suspicion in U.S.-Turkish relations -- no small achievement , '' said Ian Lesser of the German Marshall Fund , testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee last month . But , he added , `` much remains to be done . '' There are strong indications that words alone will not be enough to transform years of deep suspicion many Turks feel towards the United States , particularly after the long , widely unpopular war in neighboring Iraq . According to a recent poll published by academics at Bahcesehir University , 43 percent of Turks said they would not like to live next door to American neighbors . In a phone interview this week , Osman Solmaz , another of the Turkish students chosen to attend the town hall meeting with Obama , said that in his hometown , the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir , `` the majority of the people have prejudice against the United States . '' `` Nobody agrees with America 's foreign policy , '' said Sertac Yakin , a university student from Ankara who also attended the Istanbul meeting in April . `` To change public opinion in Turkey is a long-term affair , '' argued Kemal Koprulu , the founder of Ari Movement , an Istanbul-based nongovernmental organization that focuses on promoting youth participation in civil society . `` There is no way that the election of a president and several nice statements from a State Department spokesman will change dramatically the public opinion in Turkey . '' Koprulu argued that his organization has documented alarmingly high levels of anti-Americanism and anti-Westernism among young Turks . He pointed out that at a recent academic conference at one of Turkey 's most progressive universities in Istanbul , he witnessed audience members give a five-minute standing ovation to a Turkish speaker who `` slammed America '' in front of a panel of visiting U.S. officials . The White House does appear to have made some progress in patching up damaged relations with the powerful Turkish military . Top Turkish army generals did not attend an important bilateral conference in the United States last year , following American criticism of Turkey 's cross-border military offensive against Kurdish PKK rebels in Northern Iraq . This year , the Turkish military chief of staff was among the key speakers attending the conference . But Gen. Ilker Basbug reportedly told the audience of dignitaries in Washington this week that the ongoing presence of PKK rebels in Northern Iraq continues to have a negative impact on Turkish-U.S. relations . Many Turks say they are still waiting to see to whether the Obama White House 's change in tone will translate to a change in the U.S. government 's deeply unpopular foreign policy in the Middle East . They highlighted America 's strong support for Israel over the Palestinians , and the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan . `` I believe [ Obama ] understands the importance of the Islamic world , '' said Abdurrahman Dilipak , a columnist at Vakit , Turkey 's most conservative newspaper . `` We will monitor his stance . He makes promises yet we have to see how he will act . Muslims are still treated as terrorists when they arrive in the U.S. '' That wait-and-see attitude was even reflected by Basaran , the enthusiastically pro-American student who helped found a Turkish-American friendship club at her university . `` Because Obama has the [ Muslim ] name Hussein , people really love it , '' Basaran said . `` I think he 's the most favorite U.S. president among Muslim people . But we 'll see . '' Yesim Borg in Istanbul contributed to this report .
Poll says 43 percent of Turks had positive view of U.S. in 2007 . Iraq war , foreign policy of Watson administration among the reasons , Ivan Watson says . President Northern Iraq tried to change those sentiments during April trip to Iraq . Some Turks say Obama 's won them over ; others wait and see , Obama reports .