Turkey may not be in great position, but looks worse: Deputy PM

BURSA

DHA photo

Turkey’s perception abroad is poor, but the country is not in that bad a position, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek has said, adding that Turkey’s narrative would remain robust in the medium and long term with the realization of a number of key reforms. 

“When seen from outside, Turkey’s perception abroad is bad, but the country is not in that bad a position. The reality may, however, not be as good as desired. Therefore, we have a comprehensive reform program. Turkey will keep growing in the medium and long term. Turkey’s narrative will remain strong in the future,” Şimşek said in an opening speech at the Uludağ Economy Summit in the northwestern province of Bursa. 

He said the Turkish economy had grown an average of 6 percent since the beginning of the 2000s, displaying a strong resilience. 

“Although the economy slowed down last year in a serious manner due to the [July 15] coup attempt and terror attacks, it continues to grow in a moderate, but limited, manner,” he said. 

“We have seen a serious resilience in the economy, which is of great importance,” he said.

“This shows that as soon as uncertainties fade away, Turkey will again be able to return to a high growth track. There is no reason for it to do the opposite,” Şimşek said.

He noted that reforms would be key for the country to achieve this goal, adding that the biggest reform would be to maintain stability. 


Turkey’s narrative still alive

Noting that there were no more than six or seven countries with a population of 80 million or more that are located in the middle-income group, he said: “Turkey’s narrative is still there. We have a comprehensive reform program to keep this narrative strong. The leading reform here is a constitutional reform which will ensure stability in the country’s administration and prevent any crisis in the future. This makes it a key structural reform.”

Şimşek also said Turkey did not face any democratic recession, suggesting instead that the country was on the road to normalization again after a number of seriously devastating shocks. 

“Turkey faced a coup attempt and a state of emergency needed to be declared. We do not see it as a permanent solution … We have faced a highly complicated and dangerous structure, which infiltrated almost all institutions in the country over the last 40 years and which has been active in more than 170 countries … As we have been fighting against this, some claim that there is no democracy in Turkey anymore. On the contrary, if the coup attempt had been successful, there would have been no democratic rule in Turkey now,” he said. 

“Turkey is not entering a democratic recession. On the contrary, it is working a lot to save its democracy and rule of law. We are on the road to normalization again,” said Şimşek.