Erdogan says he hopes Turkish lira will steady soon

[December 04, 2021]    ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he hoped that foreign-exchange rates would stabilise shortly and again promised low interest rates, after a historic plunge in the lira currency to record lows.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference after his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (not pictured) at Huber Mansion in Istanbul, Turkey October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

"God willing we will stabilise foreign-exchange rates in a short time period," Erdogan told an audience in the eastern city of Siirt. "Interest rates are a malady that make the rich even richer and the poor even poorer," he added.

The lira shed some 30% over the last month in a selloff driven by aggressive interest rate cuts that Erdogan sought, but that economists and opposition politicians say are reckless.

The currency touched a record low of 14 to the dollar on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Azra Ceylan; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Jane Merriman)

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