“Europe is obviously in deep trouble economically and two leaders in Europe, the chancellor of Germany, Ms. [Angela] Merkel and the president of France, Mr. [Nicolas] Sarkozy, unfortunately did not show adequate resistance,” Turkey’s Zafer Caglayan said in Washington on Tuesday.
“They couldn’t prevent this crisis,” Caglayan said, adding that the drop in Turkey’s economic growth “depends on the not-managed economic crisis in Europe.”
Caglayan further said that Turkey’s economy would grow at just above four percent in 2012, reflecting a decline by nearly half compared to last year.
Europe plunged into deep financial crisis in 2008 and the situation has continued to intensify in recent months.
The worsening eurozone debt crisis has forced EU governments to adopt harsh austerity measures and tough economic reforms, triggering incidents of social unrest and massive protests in many European countries.
PM/MFB/MA