Turkey 2011 growth seen around 6 pc

ISTANBUL: The Turkish economy is expected to have grown around 9-10 percent in the first quarter and is seen growing around 6 percent in the year as a whole, Economy Minister Ali Babacan was quoted as saying.

"We expect growth of around 6 percent," Hurriyet newspaper quoted him as telling reporters after an awards ceremony on Wednesday evening, above a conservative forecast of 4.5 percent. Babacan told reporters on Thursday that GDP will likely grow more than 4.5 percent this year in an upbeat view of the economy ten days ahead of an election.

The ruling AK Party is expected to comfortably win a third term in the June 12 parliamentary vote.

Copyright Reuters, 2011