ISTANBUL--The Turkish government's 2013 economic growth forecast
of 4% is reasonable and it may exceed projections depending on the
recovery of domestic demand, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said
Thursday.
In an interview with local TV channel CNBCe, Mr. Simsek said the
central bank's monetary policy eased recently and the government
supported investment to contribute to economic growth.
Turkey's annual economic expansion slowed to 1.6% in the three
months ended September, missing analyst forecasts of a 2.6% growth
rate and registering the slowest pace since 2009, when the economy
contracted by 4.7%.
Mr. Simsek said inflation is likely to hover around 5.3% next
year, in line with the central bank's forecast. Turkey's annual
inflation currently stands at 6.37%.
He said the government's revenue from privatizations may exceed
projections next year and the government is considering tendering a
licence to operate the national lottery in the first half of
2013.
The government may initially decrease its stake in Turk Telekom
(TTKOM.IS) to 25%, Mr. Simsek said, without giving further details.
The government currently owns 31.7% of Turk Telekom, while a 55.8%
stake is owned by Dubai-based Oger Telecom and 12.5% stake is
floated in the Istanbul Stock Exchange.
According to the government's medium-term program, the
government expects 9.5 billion Turkish lira ($5.3 billion) in
privatization revenue in 2013.
Write to Yeliz Candemir at yeliz.candemir@dowjones.com
