Turkey’s Erdogan to talk to central bank governor: media

Istanbul: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will hold further talks with Central Bank Governor Erdem Basci, broadcaster NTV reported him as telling reporters at the weekend, as he continued his fierce criticism of central bank policy.

“We will call him and talk,” Erdogan said on his plane travelling to Saudi Arabia, adding that Basci had himself requested a meeting. Other news websites carried similar reports. It was not clear when they would hold talks. NTV reported Erdogan as saying he had already held face-to-face talks with Basci and Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, who is in charge of the economy. “I look and see they are in the same position. They need to shape up a bit,” Erdogan said. “If interest rates don’t fall, Turkey can’t invest.”