(zaman.com) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made some striking statements about recent discussions in the media to the newspaper editors-in-chief accompanying him on his flight to Strasbourg yesterday.
Speaking with journalists on his flight to attend the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly General Meeting in Strasbourg, Erdogan touched on the 2007 presidential elections and reiterated that a person wholl embrace all should be president, reports Trend.
On the issue of a possible candidacy for Turkeys next president, Erdogan questioned, Why wouldnt it be someone other than me? and said, I will not give you a name. Now is not the right time to talk about presidential candidates; if I revealed a name now, for this individual, the election process would have already begun. This would upset the current political atmosphere and busy the agenda for the next 11 months; and this would have negative consequences for the country.
Stressing that 11 months remain until the presidential election, Prime Minister Erdogan said that the president should be a representative of all Turkish citizens. They will seek the opinion of Chamber Unions, Labor Unions and the judiciary before presenting their presidential candidate.
Erdogan once again highlighted the importance of an independent president, able to free himself from past affiliations, as the best representative for Turkey and its people. This is what we did with the municipalities. We consider all municipalities equal with no discrimination among parties, said Erdogan.
During his conversation with journalists, Erdogan commented on the latest perturbations in the economy and spoke out against implications that Central Bank (CB) Governor Durmus Yilmaz is to blame. The current situation can not be attributed to Mr. Yilmaz. The Central Bank inspires confidence; it has a solid foundation, Erdogan said, adding, The problem stems from the developments around the world. The instruments at the disposal of the CB are clear; adjusting interest and foreign currency rates. They have now added depository purchases to these; lets see what will happen next? Coordination with domestic and foreign money circles is good. Some things appear to be negative but there are positive aspects as well. There are positive developments in the imports- exports balance. Direct foreign capital inflow will increase in comparison with last year.
The latest developments were addressed at the Economic Coordination Board, which convened in Antalya last Sunday, Erdogan concluded, There are no major troubling issues; even the banks that appear to be the most problematic are no cause for alarm. He associated the increase in the value of the dollar with the "US's unique power, concluding that only the euro can curb an over-inflated dollar.