Türkiye congratulates Rutte as new NATO chief

ANKARA

Türkiye has congratulated Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for his appointment as the new NATO Secretary General, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 26.

“We congratulate Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was announced as the new NATO Secretary General with the consent of all allies,” read the statement.

The statement also offered Türkiye’s gratitude to outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for his successful leadership since 2014.

In the meantime, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told journalists that he spoke on the phone with Rutte to congratulate him on his new job. "We will come together in Washington. He told me he will come to Türkiye before Washington (summit of the NATO leaders)," Erdoğan said.

According to the diplomatic sources, Türkiye has three top expectations from the new NATO chief. The first one is more support and solidarity from the allied countries in the fight against terrorism as Türkiye has suffered most from terror attacks.

Secondly, Türkiye expects the new chief to encourage NATO allies to lift all restrictions and sanctions in regard to arms sales. Türkiye is specifically complaining about Germany which does not permit the sale of a certain military equipment as well as Eurofighter jetfighters.

Third expectation is about the status of the non-EU members of NATO in the context of the NATO-EU cooperation mechanisms. Türkiye criticizes the EU for excluding the non-NATO countries in the EU-led operations.

Rutte will take over for Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Oct. 1 after major powers, spearheaded by the United States, wrapped up his nomination ahead of a summit of NATO leaders in Washington next month.

"Mark is a true trans-Atlanticist, a strong leader and a consensus-builder," Stoltenberg said on social media after NATO ambassadors approved the appointment.

"I know I am leaving NATO in good hands," he added.

Rutte said it was a "tremendous honor" to take over from Stoltenberg once his decade at the helm of NATO ends.

"The alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security. Leading this organization is a responsibility I do not take lightly," he wrote online.

The seasoned Dutch leader, whose 14-year tenure in charge of the Netherlands is set to end within weeks, is seen as a safe pair of hands capable of stewarding NATO through perilous times.

His appointment was welcomed by leaders across the 75-year-old alliance, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who called it "a good choice for freedom and security.”