I don't know very many people from Turkey. In fact, the only Turk I really knew was a woman who was a dentist in Turkey, but worked as a dental technician for my father because she couldn't get a license in the US. She was a very polite person, so I have been assuming that your poor manners were unusual. Apparently what appears to those of us in the US to be extremely bad manners is considered proper in Turkey.
>>Arinc Says He Rejected Pearson's Invitation
Anadolu Agency: Wednesday, January 22, 2003
ANKARA - Bulent Arinc said on Wednesday, ''U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson invited me to a luncheon a few days ago. However, I rejected this invitation as Pearson did not come to congratulate me after my election as Parliament Speaker''.
When a reporter recalled that some parliamentary commission chairmen responded Pearson's invitation saying, ''you come here'' Arinc said that they knew what they were doing and added that reporters should ask this question to the responsibles of this attitude.
Noting that he can respond the part of the question which is related with him, Arinc said, ''Mr. Pearson invited me to luncheon at the Embassy residence a few days ago. I think he wanted to talk about the issues which have been high on agenda recently. However, I rejected his invitation because Mr. Pearson has not paid a congratulatory visit since the day I was elected as Parliament Speaker. Under the rules, first an Ambassador pays a congratulatory visit to Parliament Speaker then Parliament Speaker partakes his invitation.<<
turkishpress.com
Arinc may well be correct, I have no idea what "the rules" are, but apparently they don't preclude behaving badly in public. |
