Press Review

Press Review: "DEPARTING US CONSUL TO TURKEY FETED

US Consul to Turkey David Arnett, who will return to his country after the end of his term of office in August, stated yesterday that his ancestors were born in the region where Melungeons settled in the US and that his grandmother was from a famous family of Melungeons, an ethnic group said to be of Turkish descent. Speaking at the lunch organized in his honor by the Turkish-American Business Council (TAIK) at Istanbul’s Conrad Hotel, Arnett said, “I hope I carry Turkish blood in my veins.” TAIK Chairman Yýlmaz Arguden also spoke at the meeting, saying, “Mr. Arnett has made a very positive mark in Turkish-US relations in the nine years he’s been in Turkey. We know that his heart is here. He feels like a Turk with the friendships he established, and we consider him a Turk. Maybe he will be one of the most important representatives of Turkey in the coming years.” Arguder gave Iznik ceramics to Arnett as a present for his contributions to Turkish-US relations. /Milliyet/