ANKARA: Turkey's government has no intention of curbing central bank independence or interfering with its structure, government officials told Reuters on Thursday, after the lira eased on concerns about a new government programme.
The government programme unveiled in parliament late on Wednesday said the central bank would continue to determine monetary policy instruments directly itself as the basis for securing price stability. But it omitted a previous reference to the bank setting monetary policy independently.
President Tayyip Erdogan has been a frequent critic of high interest rates, but one of the officials said that while central bank decisions are sometimes criticised, nobody is seeking to control the bank or change its structure.
"There is no plan or thought whatsoever to limit the independence of the central bank or to interfere in its structure," a second official said.
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, newly appointed and in charge of the economy in a cabinet unveiled this week, said on Twitter earlier the bank would continue to determine its policy tools independently.
The lira weakened to 2.9035 against the dollar by 0923 GMT from 2.8843 late on Wednesday.
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