President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday cast a recent currency crisis as an attack on Turkey’s economy, no different from a strike against the flag or call to prayer, taking a defiant tone in his address at the eve of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival.
In a pre-recorded address to the Turkish people ahead of the start of the four-day holiday on Tuesday, the Turkish President said the aim of the recent currency crisis was to bring “Turkey and its people to their knees”.
He said that Turkey had the power and ability to overcome the crisis.
NAN reports that Turkish authorities blamed “fake news” for the recent plunge in the national currency’s value, with Erdogan condemning “terrorists” haunting social networks and disseminating alleged disinformation.
Erdogan, who gained vastly expanded executive powers when he won re-election in June, has largely pinned the blame on the U.S., accusing Washington of engineering an economic war on Turkey. (Reuters/NAN)