President Abdullah Gul has confirmed that he has never considered running for the position of UN secretary-general, in response to one of 10 favorite questions addressed to him by the Turkish people on the recently launched "Cumhurbaşkanına Sorun" (Ask the President) website.

Gul has received a total of 13,750 questions since Jan. 1, which were posted on the official Turkish Presidency website in a campaign which Gul describes as a “direct channel of communication with citizens.”

The authors of the 10 most popular questions were invited to visit his office at the Cankaya presidential palace on Saturday, where they were able to question the president in person. The visitors enjoyed a five-hour visit to the palace.

Cagdas Yildiz, a student in Istanbul Bilgi University's public relations department, asked Gul whether he has ever considered himself for the position of UN secretary-general. Highlighting that Turks have increasingly been filling administrative positions in international organizations as part of Turkey's rise in international influence in recent years, Yildiz also asked Gul if there was a possibility of him seeking to run for the position once his presidency is over.

Gul cited the importance of such positions for Turkey in the international arena, adding that he worked in international organizations for eight years before going into politics.

Noting that the UN secretary-general elections have a complex system based on sensitive international issues and pressures, Gul said: “Personally, I have never considered the possibility of running for the position of UN secretary-general. Similarly, the Turkish government has not taken any steps towards making this possible.”

Cihan