Washington, September 5 (RHC)-- U.S. foreign policy veteran Henry Kissinger says he will not endorse any of the 2016 presidential candidates in the race for the White House, rejecting reports that the Republican guru will publicly back Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

In a statement, Henry Kissinger, who served as national security adviser and secretary of state under former Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, asserted that he and George Shultz, who was secretary of state under former President Ronald Reagan, had no plans to endorse any candidate.

“We are not making any endorsement in the current presidential election,” the two former secretaries of state said in a joint statement provided to Time magazine.  “We are dedicated to fostering a bipartisan foreign policy, and we will devote ourselves to this effort now and after the election.”

The speculations originated from the Politico’s interview with Schultz, where he had indicated a joint endorsement of a candidate other than the Republican nominee Donald Trump.  Although the statement put to rest the rumors, Kissinger has on many occasions voiced his opposition to a Trump presidency.