‘Is there anything in Turkey that is not in dollars,’ HDP MP asks Minister Albayrak

Click to read the article in Turkish

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır MP Garo Paylan has responded to Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak's remarks on a live TV program hosted by Ahmet Hakan on CNN Türk.

Answering the question of Hakan on August 12, Albayrak was asked, "I get panicked when the exchange rate of the US dollar rises. Should we be concerned," to which he responded: "Do you get your wage in dollars? Are you indebted in dollars? Do you have any business with dollars?"

CLICK - Turkey's Finance Minister Albayrak: What matters is not the level of exchange rate

HDP's Garo Paylan has addressed a Parliamentary question to Minister Albayrak in response to these remarks. Referring to his answer to Ahmet Hakan, Paylan has asked the Minister the following questions:

"Is there anything, apart from our wages, that is not in dollars?

"Aren't the farmers' fertilizers, seeds, diesel fuel and pesticides in dollars?

"Aren't we indebted in dollars for bridge, highway and city hospital projects?

"Don't prices increase when the dollar is up?

"Aren't our citizens born indebted thousands of dollars?"

What happened?

Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak attended a live program hosted by Ahmet Hakan on CNN Türk on August 12, 2020.

Addressing a series of issues on Turkey's economy agenda, especially the currently increasing exchange rates of Euro and US Dollar against Turkish Lira, Albayrak noted that there was an attempt to measure the economy by looking at the exchange rates. The Minister argued that exchange rates were now affecting the economy less than previous periods.

He also indicated that in an attempt to make sure that the exchange rate affects the economy less, Turkey had been going through an economic transformation. The Minister added that the mobility in the exchange rates had been at the same level two years ago.

Referring to the fluctuations in the exchange rates, Ahmet Hakan asked Minister Albayrak, "Does this storm affect us? I get panicked when the exchange rate of dollar rises. Should we be concerned?" In response to this question, the Finance Minister said, "Do you get your wage in dollars? Are you indebted in dollars? Do you have a business with dollars?" (HA/SD)