Erdogan Defends Central Bank Governor After Rumors

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned "rumors" aimed at undermining economic progress in a clear show of support for Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan, who criticized a recent news report about her family. Erdogan stated, "When the central bank's reserves reached a record level of $145.5 billion, they took immediate action. They launched campaigns to destabilize the atmosphere of confidence and stability in our economy with unreasonable rumors that could undermine the progress we have made." Erdogan did not specify the rumors and did not directly mention the Central Bank Governor, but his speech included references to the "opposition's" efforts to criticize the government and the economy. Last week, the opposition newspaper Sozcu published a report about an employee at the central bank, claiming that Erkan's father was unjustly dismissed from the bank. Erkan, who was appointed by Erdogan in June to implement radical policy changes, described the story as "unfounded" and unacceptable, targeting both her family and the bank, and vowed to take legal action against those responsible for its publication.