Turkey ready to face any challenge: Senior official

By Deniz Cicek and Mustafa Calkaya

ANKARA

Turkey like a great-earthquake resistance building is ready to face any disaster, the head of Strategy and Budget Directorate said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a symposium in capital Ankara, Naci Agbal, a former finance minister, said the country will continue to make economic policies for structural reforms, strong public finance and banking system.

"We will take serious measures to reduce the current deficit of Turkey," he said.

He also said the U.S. is breaking international law and the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

Turkey can resist the U.S. based on its powerful public financial and banking sector, he said.

American President Donald Trump last week ramped up his attack on Turkey by increasing U.S. tariffs on Turkish aluminium and steel imports.

Turkish Trade Ministry has said the new U.S. tariffs were against the rules set by the WTO.

Cevdet Yilmaz, vice president of the Justice and Development (AK) party, said: "The U.S. sanctions on Turkey will be reversed."

About rising currencies against Turkish lira, Yilmaz noted that Turkey was in a process which cannot be explained with economic fundamentals.