ANKARA - Turkey`s prime minister announced on Wednesday that Turkey`s net debt was down in the first quarter of 2008.
Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey`s net debt was 147 billion new Turkish liras (YTL) in the first quarter of the year.
"Turkey`s net debt was 270 billion YTL in 2005, and its net foreign debt was 88 billion YTL in 2002," Erdogan said during the inaugural ceremony of the new headquarters of Ankara Chamber of Industry.
Erdogan said that Turkey`s net foreign debt dropped to 10 billion YTL today.
On growth figures, Erdogan said that Turkey grew 6.6 percent in the first quarter of 2008, and told the participants that the industrial growth was 7.2 percent in the same period.
Erdogan said that Turkish economy had been growing for 25 quarters, and announced Turkey`s exports around 125 billion USD.
The premier said that private sector investment reached 155 billion YTL by the end of 2007, and private sector investments were around 44.6 billion YTL in the first quarter of 2008.
Also talking about recent developments in Turkey, Erdogan said that the Turkish nation objected to a politics that backed gangs, the mafia, and the like.
Erdogan said that every one should improve democracy, law and universal values.
(BRC-AÖ)
(ECO)