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Turkey’s second-quarter growth rate came as a big disappointment to Ankara, hushing boastful ministers who had bragged of outperforming European economies. When gross domestic product (GDP) was reported to have grown 4.7% in the first quarter, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci declared on television, “We’ve grown faster than 33 European countries. Any slowdown in the coming quarters is out of the question.”
Only three months after Zeybekci's June 10 statement, the rate fell to 2.1%, less than half of the 4.7% that Zeybekci proclaimed as unshakable. This new data, announced last week, left not only the minister embarrassed, but Ankara’s year-end target of 4% out of reach.
