President replaces gifts with scholarships

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Abdullah Gül. AA photo

President Abdullah Gül has not been accepting gifts since the New Year.

President Gül has not been accepting gifts during his provincial visits, the president’s spokesperson Ahmet Sever told Anatolia news agency, or from delegations visiting the Çankaya Presidential Mansion, from officials or civilian visitors on other field visits since the New Year.

Gül has instead been providing two options to replace gifts: One is to contribute to scholarships for young people, and the other is to plant trees in memory of the visit, and Sever said both options can be selected, if a party so wishes. There have been 60,000 trees planted and 46 scholarships pledged this way, Sever said.

Before any visit, General Secretary of the Presidency Mustafa İsen writes out instructions to governors saying that gifts will not be accepted, and that in lieu of gifts, trees can be planted or scholarships provided.