Erdogan: Problem of high prices and inflation will soon be solved

KONYA (Agencies): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the problem of high prices and inflation in Turkey will be resolved as soon as possible, the Turkish leader made this statement at the opening ceremony of the Konya-Karaman high-speed train line.
Inflation in Turkey surged 13.58 percent in December, reaching 36.08 percent in 2021 amid fluctuations in the Turkish lira.
“The problem of high prices, interest and inflation worries our citizen. As soon as possible, this problem will also find its solution, as a solution to the exchange rate problem was found,” Erdogan said during his speech.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the high-speed and high-speed rail system will soon unite all regions of Turkey.
According to the head of state, the new expressway will allow trains to reduce travel time (102 km) between the two provinces of Anatolia from 2 hours 40 minutes to 40 minutes.
The new composition will reduce energy costs, and thereby save the budget 63 million lire per year, Erdogan said.
The President noted that after the completion of the construction of high-speed lines in the direction of the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Gaziantep, a single system of high-speed railway lines will be created, plying between the regions of the Sea of Marmara, Inner Anatolia and the Mediterranean strip of Turkey.
The head of state noted that the development of the railway is one of the priorities of the Turkish government.
Over the past 20 years, the length of Turkish railways has reached 13,222 km, the president said.
He noted that thanks to the efforts of our government, today the train leaving London can directly reach Anatolia, passing through the tunnels under the Bosphorus. Further, these cargoes are transported through Georgia and Azerbaijan to Central Asia up to China, ”the Turkish leader said.
According to Erdogan, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of rail transport. “We are determined to turn Turkey into an international railway hub,” the president stressed.
The head of state became a passenger on the first flight of the Konya-Karaman high-speed train.
The financial system of Turkey is going through hard times due to the depreciation of the national currency. It accelerated sharply after several consecutive cuts in the central bank’s discount rate: on December 20, the dollar reached a record 18.4 lira, while in January of last year it was worth 7.4 lira. However, following the statements of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan about new measures to counter the volatility of the exchange rate, the lira jumped sharply in late December.
The Turkish president is in favor of cutting the discount rate, arguing that it will lead to lower inflation. He changed the head of the central bank three times since July 2019 and twice since November 2021 – the minister of finance. Opposition leaders accused Erdogan of economic incompetence and called for early elections. The Turkish leader rejected the call, saying that the presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey will take place as planned in June 2023.