Turkish economist of Armenian descent, Professor from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Daron Acemoglu refuted the information on his appointment to Turkey’s Ambassador to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) in Paris, Turkish Radikal newspaper reports.

His assistant Lauren Fahey said that Prof. Acemoglu is touched that he was offered the post of Ambassador to the OECD, but he will not accept it due to his academic work. “The Turkish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister were informed of it,” the assistant said, adding that media reports are untrue.

Recently Turkish mass media disseminated controversial information on Acemoglu’s appointment to Turkey’s Ambassador to France.

At an international conference in London, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that they proposed the candidature of Ambassador of Turkey to the OECD. “Mr. Acemoglu accepted our proposal with great enthusiasm, but he is currently busy with scientific work. After he completes his work, he will begin to perform his duties. The OECD is an important economic agency, and Daron Acemoglu is one of the most famous economists of the world. I talked about it with the president and prime minister of Turkey. The Turkish Premier will soon make a statement about it,” Davutoglu said, CNNturk reports.

Acemoglu was born in Istanbul, Turkey. He graduated from the Galatasaray High School in Istanbul in 1986. He got his B.Sc. degree from the University of York, UK and his M.Sc. degree in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics and then his Ph.D. degree in 1992 from the London School of Economics. He is currently Professor of Applied Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and winner of the 2005 John Bates Clark Medal. He is among the 10 most cites economists in the world according to IDEAS/RePEc.