ISTANBUL: The Turkish budget showed a deficit of 3 billion lira ($1.34 billion) and a primary surplus of 3.99 billion lira in October, the finance minister said on Monday, compared with a deficit of 9.2 billion and a primary deficit of 4.6 billion in September.

In the first ten months of the year, the budget gave a deficit of 14.9 billion lira, and a primary surplus of 30.3 billion lira, according the data.

Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said in a statement that the country will achieve its year-end budget deficit target comfortably.

Copyright Reuters, 2014