New govt aims to put Turkey in world top 10: deputy PM

ANKARA (AA) – One of Turkey’s deputy premiers said Friday that the main task of the new government is to make Turkey one of the world’s top 10 countries.

“The main task of the 65th government, with your contribution, is to take Turkey into the Super League, in other words to make it one of the 10 greatest countries in the world,” said Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus.

Kurtulmus was speaking for the government in parliament, where the new government’s program is being discussed ahead of a confidence vote on Sunday.

Turkey, one of the world’s 20 biggest economies, hopes to enter the top 10 by 2023, the centenary of the Republic of Turkey.

Kurtulmus described the new government as a government of “reforms, breakthroughs, and action.”

He said that the new government will complete the political, economic, social, and legal reforms that the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party started in the country over the last 14 years, since the party came to power in 2002.

Turkey’s newly announced 65th government headed by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim will face a confidence vote in parliament on Sunday.

The AK Party has 317 MPs in the 550-seat parliament, and the new government needs a simple majority of 276 votes to win a confidence vote.