Turkish Gov't Firm On 4 Pct Growth Target For 2015

The Turkish government is resolute on pursuing an economic growth target of 4 percent for 2015, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said.



Davutoglu's statement came on Thursday at a press conference on a presentation of the Package to Boost Employment, Industrial Investment and Production at the Prime Ministry office at Ankara's Cankaya Palace.



Davutoglu told reporters:  "We believe we can easily achieve 4 percent goal this year."



His comments came after the Turkish Statistical Institute, TurkStat, announced on Tuesday that the country's growth rate was 2.6 percent for the last quarter of 2014, and annual growth stood at 2.9 percent, both of which were higher than previously estimated.



'Performance preserved'



Deputy Prime Minister responsible for economy, Ali Babacan, maintained Turkey had managed to substantially maintain its economic growth performance in 2014 despite sharp volatility in global financial markets and negative geopolitical developments in its region.



He said: "Global financial markets churned the year 2014 because of uncertainties in monetary policies implemented by advanced economies; (also) negative effects of geopolitical crises increased and unfavorable weather conditions limited growth.



"Last year, the EU expanded by 1.3 percent, the Eurozone 0.9 percent and Latin America saw 1.3 percent growth. But in 2014, Turkey managed to preserve its growth performance at 2.9 percent."



www.aa.com.tr/en - Ankara