Türkiye may block Rutte's appointment as NATO Secretary General, says Bloomberg
Photo: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (flickr.com/worldeconomicforum)
Türkiye wants certain assurances from Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte before Ankara approves his bid to be the next head of NATO, reports Bloomberg.
It is said that Türkiye wants to ensure that Rutte, or any other candidate, does not have a biased attitude towards the members of the alliance in the European Union, and in particular, that he does not succumb to pressure from Greece and Cyprus. Both countries remain at loggerheads with Ankara over long-standing territorial disputes.
Türkiye also wants Rutte to allow Ankara to join NATO's partnership with the EU and ensure there are no defense export restrictions between NATO allies.
"The country’s leadership is favorable toward Rutte’s stepping into the shoes of outgoing Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in principle," the article says.
What steps have already been taken?
In July, the Dutch government lifted restrictions on arms sales to Turkey, more than three years after it suspended them following Ankara's military incursion into northern Syria.
The decision followed Türkiye's agreement to support Sweden's bid to join NATO after months of negotiations.
Turkey has yet to hand over its list of demands to Rutte, the sources said. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands and the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have softened their relationship and renewed ties after the escalation of tensions between the two countries back in 2017.
What preceded
Earlier, Bloomberg already wrote that the supporters of the current Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, insist that he become the next Secretary General of NATO.
Rutte has the support of many NATO members to lead the alliance, in part because he is seen as a candidate who can manage Trump.
However, some countries on the eastern flank of the alliance are delaying, seeking a wider representation of the region in leadership positions in the organization.
