he came under criticism for his statement that germany’s military missions abroad also served to secure trade. he afterwards stated that his comments referred to piracy off the coast of somalia. köhler stated that there was no substance to accusations that in the interview he had overstepped his formal role by favouring an unconstitutional position. after getting no support in the dispute, köhler stepped down on 31 may 2010. he made a statement saying "i declare my resignation from the office of president, with immediate effect." the resignation was considered a "surprise". the following days he was criticized for not being able to handle criticism while being a rigorous critic himself. his unprecedented act of immediate resignation was also considered showing a lack of respect for his position.