Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan on Thursday forecast the year-end growth in 2012 at around four percent, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
Turkey would close the year 2011 with a growth rate above 7.5 percent but expected a slight decline in 2012, Babacan said during a meeting of the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD) in the Turkish capital of Ankara.
"This four percent projection is based on forecast that things will not be worse in Europe, and Turkey can grow over four percent in 2012 if things are better in Europe," he said, adding Turkey could lower the growth expectation in case things were worse than predicted in Europe.
Meanwhile, Babacan said Turkey had to open to new export markets and decrease its dependence on Europe to record higher export figures./.