US ambassador Wilson bids farewell to Turkey

Out-going US Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson bade farewell to members of the diplomatic community and government officials at a large gathering in Ankara late Monday. "My family and I had very good time in Ankara. I will never lose my interest in Turkey," he said in his brief remarks. Wilson will leave Turkey next week for Washington D.C. He bade farewell to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Monday and to Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan yesterday. Wilson was appointed to Turkey in 2005 and his first task was to repair the damaged ties between the two allies. James Jeffrey, who previously served in Turkey on three occasions and speaks Turkish fluently, will replace Wilson.