PM Yıldırım says economy to grow by 5-7 pct

ANKARA

Turkey is expected to achieve economic growth of 5 to 7 percent by the end of this year, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said.

“It [the economy] will hopefully continue growing in 2018 as well, thanks to achievements that our country has gained so far, and stability [in the country],” Yıldırım said speaking at a meeting of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) in the capital Ankara.

He also stated that the inflation in the country will continue going down. “We are taking necessary measures for it. These measures will be effective soon,” he said.

The prime mnister noted that Turkey left behind the scenarios that predicted the country’s economy would collapse, and inflation and interest could not be controlled following the last year’s defeated coup attempt.

“If such an incident like July 15 [defeated coup] happened in any other country, it would not have recovered for 10 years,” he added.

According to Yıldırım, Turkey will continue structural reforms; it will carry out tax reforms, improve the existing investment climate and realize an action plan which eases the job of investors.

Regarding Turkey’s fight against terrorism, the premier said: “Turkey neutralized around 4,000 terrorists through Operation Euphrates Shield.”

Last year, Turkey launched Euphrates Shield, a military operation to clear the Turkish-Syrian border region of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The number of ISIL militants that the United States neutralized in cooperation with the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), considered as an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was not that high, he said.

“We are the country, which knows best who fights or do not fight against terrorism in reality,” Yıldırım added.