Azernews.Az

ANKARA – Turkey's prime minister said on Wednesday that the European Union (EU) should openly say that it did not want Turkey if the situation was so, Todays Zaman reported.

Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the EU not to keep Turkey waiting at the union's door.

"They (EU member states) are making up some formulas to show that 'they are not keeping as waiting'," Erdoрan said during the 14th International Business Forum in Istanbul.

Referring to Turkey's economy, Erdogan said Turkey was among the countries that were affected the least by the global financial crisis thanks to structural reforms it had been implementing since the end of 2002.

Erdogan said Turkey had overcome the global crisis with its own methods and resources, and did not need the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and sign the stand-by arrangement.

"Our debt to IMF was 23.5 billion USD eight years ago, but it is only 6 billion USD right now," Erdogan said.

Erdogan said Turkey had grown 11.7 percent in the Q1 of 2010, which made it the fourth most rapidly growing economy in the world.

The premier said Turkey was ranked the third among the countries growing the most in Q2 with a growth rate of 10.3 percent.

Similarly, when unemployment was on the rise in the entire world, unemployment in Turkey was declining 2-2.5 points every month, Erdogan said.

Erdogan said international organizations had appreciated Turkey's achievements, and Turkey had started to take its place among a few countries, the rating of which had been raised.

Turkey's exports and tourism revenues were up in 2010, Erdogan said.

"We are still cautious and maintain financial discipline. Turkey offers unique opportunities to investors and entrepreneurs with its robust economy, policies boosting stability and confidence, and peaceful and active foreign policy," Premier Erdogan said. Erdogan also said Turkey was open to investments and defined Turkey as a stable and safe country.