Epress.am News from Armenia
Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday that Turkey has proposed Turkish-Armenian economist Daron Acemoğlu to become its permanent representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris a few months ago, reports Anadolu Ajansi.
Earlier, Turkish media had reported that an economist of Armenian descent would be appointed this position, not noting, however, the name of the economist, while local Armenian daily Azg had incorrectly noted that the position being offered was that of Turkish Ambassador to France.
Asked to comment on news reports on Turkey appointing an ambassador of Armenian descent to its OECD Permanent Representation in Paris, Davutoglu said, “It’s impossible for us to subject citizens of the Republic of Turkey to discrimination on an ethical and religious basis. Competency of the Turkish citizen is the essential criteria for us in this sense.”
Further, the Turkish foreign minister said he assessed the matter with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “The prime minister will make a comprehensive statement on the news reports,” he said.
According to Davutoglu, Acemoğlu said he was honored to receive such a proposal.
“However, he noted he would assess this proposal affirmatively at the next stage because of his academic studies,” said Davutoglu.
A prominent economist and Professor of Applied Economics at MIT, Daron Acemoğlu is among the 10 most cited economists in the world, according to the collaborative project IDEAS/RePEc (Research Papers in Economics).