ANKARA - Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Thursday, ''the first target of our government is to reduce real interest rates. In order to do this, risks should diminish.''
Prime Minister Gul partook in a dinner hosted by the Individual Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD) at Ankara's Bilkent Hotel.
Speaking at the dinner, Prime Minister Gul said, ''a new period has begun in Turkey following the general elections on November 3, 2002. We kept saying during the election campaing that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) would come into power on its own. We said that it was a historical opportunity, and that if we were given this opportunity we would serve our people in the best way. Turkish people fulfilled their responsibility, and brought us to the power. Now, it is time to take action without losing any time. Because, Turkey lost many things. We experienced the deepest crises of our history in the last 4-5 years. We suffered many difficulties. We faced problems in fundamental rights and freedoms. Now, we will leave all these problems behind to concentrate on our future.''
''We well-prepared ourselves to serve Turkish people. We announced our urgent action plan. On Saturday, I will announce the government plan at the parliament. You will see us after getting the vote of confidence,'' he said.
Prime Minister Gul said, ''it is not time to find excuses. It is time to take action. If we succeed in fulfilling our responsibilities, our people will continue to support us. We are determined to be transparent. Therefore, we propose to put lodgings of deputies up for sale. Turkey cannot compete with our countries with its current complicated structure. Therefore, we have to make and put into practice structural reforms.''
''Turkey should be renewed totally to be more effective and to compete with other countries. But, we should be aware of the facts while expending efforts to modernize our country. 15 percent of our population lives below the poverty line. We cannot forget this fact. Such an unfairness and inequality cannot continue. Everyone has to do something to overcome this unfairness. We will convene the Economic and Social Council after getting the vote of confidence. We attribute great importance to non-governmental organizations. We will work together with all other political parties and non-governmental organizations to solve problems of our people,'' he said.
Gul added, ''Turkey has a great potential. We should secure confidence in order to activate this potential. The first target of our government is to reduce real interest rates. In order to do this, risks should diminish. There are just a few countries in the world where real interest rates are about 35-40 percent. We should decrease them as soon as possible.''