Turkey's Treasury and Finance Minister, Mehmet Şimşek, said the country's disinflation process is not advancing as quickly as the government would like, according to a special interview published by Bloomberght on Wednesday.
In the same interview, Şimşek addressed the question of pay increases for civil servants and pensioners, a topic picked up by several Turkish outlets, including Uzmanpara, Sözcü Gazetesi and Bigpara.
Şimşek also argued that external factors are holding inflation back from falling further. According to Diken's account of his remarks, he said inflation would be at least seven points lower if those outside influences were absent.
The interview lands as Turkish households and markets focus on the year-end wage adjustments for retirees and public employees. Reporting linked to the same remarks has centered on how those raises will be calculated, with attention to the inflation gap between the two halves of the year.
Şimşek's comments suggest the government sees progress on prices but acknowledges the pace falls short of its own target. He attributed part of the shortfall to conditions originating beyond Turkey's borders rather than to domestic policy alone.
The published material did not include the specific figures Şimşek cited for the size of the planned raises or a timeline for reaching the government's inflation goals.
What to watch next: the official announcement of the January pay increases for civil servants and pensioners, and whether incoming inflation data supports Şimşek's claim that external factors are the main drag.