Turkey removes reservations: We will support Mark Rutte as the next head of NATO

2024-04-29 17:20:36Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Turkey removes reservations: We will support Mark Rutte as the next head of NATO
Erdogan and Rutte

Turkey has decided to support the candidacy of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO.

The news was announced by the "Reuters" news agency, which quotes a senior Turkish official on condition of anonymity.

The decision to support Rutte comes three days after the latter traveled to Turkey to seek support from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his candidacy. NATO member countries Turkey and Hungary had previously expressed reservations about Rutte's candidacy.

Current NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who has been at the helm of the world's largest military alliance since 2014, is nearing the end of his term and finding a successor is urgent especially at a time when geopolitical challenges are big.

A number of other names have been mooted to replace Stoltenberg, including Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Latvian Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The latter expressed her desire for a second term in her current job, but Rutte is so far the main contender to be the new NATO chief.

 


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