(Bloomberg) -- Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak pledged to rein in inflation and highlighted central bank independence in his first interview since being named the economy czar, suggesting his policies will focus on Turkey’s key vulnerabilities.

Turkey’s independent central bank will do what economic realities and financial market conditions dictate, state-run Anadolu news agency cited Albayrak as saying on Thursday. The appointment of Albayrak, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law, on Monday sparked concerns that his policies would mirror the Turkish leader’s growth-at-all-costs approach.

“Our policies will take shape based on the framework of stable and sustainable growth, with priority given to budget discipline, single-digit inflation and structural reforms,” Albayrak was quoted as saying. The fact that the bank’s independence is subject to speculation is “unacceptable,” he added. The lira gained.

Read more on Albayrak: Running Turkey’s Economy Is Now a Family Business for Erdogan

Albayrak’s comments were intended to signal what his policy priorities will be. The lira weakened nearly 7 percent following the announcement of Turkey’s new government on Monday, with investors worried about what the new economic administration would bode for the central bank’s autonomy.

Albayrak said the central bank will be more “active” than ever, and the government will assist it by coordinating fiscal and monetary policies. He vowed to eventually bring inflation to the official 5 percent target.

The lira, which had weakened to a record low of 4.9743 per dollar during Asia trading hours, strengthened after the remarks and was trading 1.6 percent higher at 4.7975 per dollar at 12:22 p.m. in Istanbul.

To contact the reporter on this story: Onur Ant in Ankara at oant@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Benjamin Harvey at bharvey11@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Mark Williams

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