Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the successive governments of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) since 2002 have elevated Turkey to the ranks of trillion-dollar economies, according to a report by Anadolu Agency today. In a speech delivered on Sunday during the 8th General Congress of the AKP in Ankara, Erdoğan said: "We raised our national income, measured in dollars, six-fold by boosting investment, production, and exports, and elevated Turkey to the ranks of trillion-dollar economies." He explained that Turkey's per capita income reached 13,243 dollars by the end of 2023, and this figure is expected to surpass 15,000 dollars when 2024 data is announced. He added that inflation is expected to continue declining, leading to an increase in purchasing power, and that 85 million people will witness the positive impact of this.
Erdoğan noted that Turkey's central bank reserves surpassed 173 billion dollars, reaching the highest level in the republic's history. He pointed out that Turkey is on the brink of a major economic leap, with regional developments likely to pave the way for and accelerate the pace of this leap. He also mentioned that Turkey is now the world leader in drone production and ranks 11th globally in defense exports. Additionally, Turkey's share of the global economy has risen from 0.7% to 1.1%, and the value-added industrial products increased from 95 billion dollars to 320 billion dollars.
Erdoğan further highlighted that in 2023, Turkey became the fourth-largest economy in Europe and the 11th globally in terms of purchasing power. He emphasized that the AKP governments have strengthened Turkey's position in various sectors, including defense industries, the automotive industry, agriculture, and tourism.
Regarding the tourism sector, Erdoğan said: "We have risen to fourth place in Europe and fifth place globally in tourism. Last year, we hosted more than 62 million tourists, generating over 61 billion dollars in tourism revenue." He also mentioned that Turkey has made significant achievements in attracting foreign investments, saying: "Turkey attracted investments worth 15.1 billion dollars by 2002, and over the past 22 years, this figure has exceeded 272 billion dollars."
