Turkey's Finance Min: 2013 Growth Forecast of 4% Reasonable

ISTANBUL--The Turkish government's 2013 economic growth forecast of 4% is reasonable and it may exceed projections depending on the recovery of domestic demand, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said Thursday.

In an interview with local TV channel CNBCe, Mr. Simsek said the central bank's monetary policy eased recently and the government supported investment to contribute to economic growth.

Turkey's annual economic expansion slowed to 1.6% in the three months ended September, missing analyst forecasts of a 2.6% growth rate and registering the slowest pace since 2009, when the economy contracted by 4.7%.

Mr. Simsek said inflation is likely to hover around 5.3% next year, in line with the central bank's forecast. Turkey's annual inflation currently stands at 6.37%.

He said the government's revenue from privatizations may exceed projections next year and the government is considering tendering a licence to operate the national lottery in the first half of 2013.

The government may initially decrease its stake in Turk Telekom (TTKOM.IS) to 25%, Mr. Simsek said, without giving further details. The government currently owns 31.7% of Turk Telekom, while a 55.8% stake is owned by Dubai-based Oger Telecom and 12.5% stake is floated in the Istanbul Stock Exchange.

According to the government's medium-term program, the government expects 9.5 billion Turkish lira ($5.3 billion) in privatization revenue in 2013.

Write to Yeliz Candemir at [e-mail]