ANKARA—President Tayyip Erdogan said he had lowered Turkey’s inflation to around 4 percent before and that he will achieve that again, as it topped 21 percent following a push for aggressive cuts in interest rates that he has engineered. Erdogan has said that policy, which has sent the country’s lira crashing, was part of a successful “economic independence war.” He says it will boost exports, employment, investments, and growth, but most economists call it reckless and predict inflation will soar beyond 30 percent next year. The lira hit a record low beyond 17 against the dollar on Friday. Hit by fears of an inflationary spiral, the currency has lost 55 percent of its value this year and 37 percent in the last 30 days. In a meeting with African youth on Saturday that was broadcast on Sunday, Erdogan reiterated his unorthodox view that interest rates cause prices rises, adding that …