Caglayan: Turkey's economy steady, no need to worry

Minister of Economy Zafer Caglayan said Turkey was as "steady as a rock" and there was no need to panic about the US dollar hitting the psychological barrier of TL 2 level. Speaking to reporters, Caglayan stressed that there was no change in the middle term goals and that the exports would not increase as in last year due to external factors. "We have a goal of $158 billion dollars in exports which, it seems, we will not be able to achieve. Our projection of economic growth was 4 percent but I anticipate a rate above 3 percent and below 4 percent. This is a considerable rate, given the global economic situation." Caglayan added. Touching on Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc’s statement on Syria, Caglayan said that whether Turkey will join the coalition against Syria or not would not have direct consequences on Turkish economy. Caglayan also mentioned that normalisation of the situation in Syria would boom the Turkish exports up to $2.5-3 billion, emphasising that Syria is a transit country providing access to seven countries.