Turkish businessmen overseas supporting lira campaign

By Fatih Erel and Bayram Altug

AARGAU, Switzerland

Amid a popular social campaign in Turkey to support the domestic currency -- the lira – Turks overseas are joining efforts to boost their homeland’s economy.

One Turkish businessman in Switzerland has even started to use Turkish lira in his restaurant in order to contribute to Turkey’s economy.

Suat Sahin, a businessman in Switzerland's northern Aargau canton, told Anadolu Agency on Thursday he decided to sell meals in Turkish lira after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call to convert foreign exchange savings into the domestic currency.

For Sahin, currency fluctuations in Turkey are the fault of a terror network.

"The Fetullah Terror Organization (FETO) attempted a coup [in Turkey]. They failed to succeed with guns, airplanes and helicopters ... now they try to do it by launching economic warfare," Sahin said.

Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of orchestrating Turkey’s July 15 coup plot as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

The July 15 defeated coup left 248 people martyred and 2,193 others wounded.

Sahin has called on Turkish businessmen in Europe to support the country's local currency.

"Our only goal is to contribute to the country's economy," he added.

On Sunday, Erdogan said Turkey had taken steps to carry out its foreign trade using national currencies.

"If we buy something from them [foreign countries], we will do that in their currency; if they buy something from us, they will do it in our currency," Erdogan said, adding Turkey will "play its own game" in the economic arena against "all the games" played against it.

Since last week, the president has been calling on Turkish citizens to convert their foreign exchange savings into Turkish lira and gold to help boost the lira’s value.

The U.S. dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate went down to stand at 3.3820 at 10.00 a.m. Turkish time (0700 GMT) on Thursday, compared to 3.4120 at Wednesday's close.

Turkey’s Economic Coordination Committee, which held a meeting last week, is set to soon announce its outcome.

It is expected the committee will take measures to accelerate economic growth and minimize foreign exchange volatility.