Turkiye will overcome cost-of-living problem: Turkish president

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Just as Turkiye overcame the pandemic, it will overcome the cost-of-living problem stemming from an increase in global energy and commodity prices, the Turkish president said on Friday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a new airport in Turkiye's northern Tokat province, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "Like every change and every revolution, we are experiencing the pain of this process, but I hope a prosperous future is waiting for us that will be worth all our sacrifices."

The annual inflation rate was 54.44% this February while it was 15.61% in the same month last year, according to official figures.

“If Turkiye survives 2023 – the 100th anniversary of the founding of our republic – by protecting its unity, solidarity, and brotherhood, by Allah's leave, no one can hold us in any field, including economy, Erdogan said.

About the NATO summit held on Thursday in Brussels, he said: "We gave our messages there. We explained where we stand as Turkiye."

The president said the new airport’s investment value is 1.2 billion Turkish liras (around $81 million) and it has a capacity of 2 million passengers annually.