Turkey's gross national product (GNP), helped by renewed domestic confidence, is set to grow by 5.2 percent this year versus an official target of five percent, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener told Reuters.
"Gross domestic product is forecast to be 4.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2005, and gross national product is forecast to rise 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter," he said in weekend interview. "According to this, GDP growth in 2005 is forecast at 5.2 percent and GNP growth again is forecast at 5.2 percent."
The new figures were slightly lower than that of Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan who forecast last week GNP growth at six percent versus nearly 10 percent in 2004.
Since twin financial and political crises in 2000 and 2001 Turkey has recovered dramatically, partly with the help of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) rescue programme.
Economic growth, foreign direct investment and currency stability are back. Inflation has been cut to single digits after more than three decades of double-and triple-digit figures.