Outgoing Dutch prime minister visits Turkey's Erdogan in his bid for the NATO chief position
ISTANBUL (AP) — The Netherlands’ outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte was in Turkey on Friday, seeking support from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the Dutch official’s bid for the position of NATO secretary general.
Incumbent NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister who has been NATO’s top civilian official since 2014, is nearing the end of his term. His mandate had been extended several times as the alliance needed to keep a steady hand at the helm after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
NATO members Turkey and Hungary had earlier expressed reservations about Rutte’s candidacy. During his friday visit, Rutte spoke at a joint news conference with Erdogan.
The southern wing of NATO “needs Turkey and its leadership,” Rutte said, describing Ankara as a very influential actor in the region and a geopolitical power.
Related articles
From flooding in Brazil and Houston to brutal heat in Asia, extreme weather seems nearly everywhere
In sweltering Brazil, worst-ever flooding killed dozens of people and paralyzed a city of about 4 mi2024-05-08Multinational firms swear by Shanghai on support plan for foreign R&D centers
A new plan to support the development of foreign research and development centers in Shanghai has le2024-05-08China's EV success due to globalization, good quality, cost control, not subsidy: FM spokesperson
The success of China's electric vehicles (EV) is "the success of globalization," and Chinese-made EV2024-05-08Multinational firms swear by Shanghai on support plan for foreign R&D centers
A new plan to support the development of foreign research and development centers in Shanghai has le2024-05-08PGA Championship invites 7 LIV players to get top 100 in the world
The PGA Championship officially has Tiger Woods in a field released Tuesday that includes invitation2024-05-08CNOOC's major deepwater jacket platform completed
Haiji-2, the first deepwater jacket in Asia designed and built independently by China National Offsh2024-05-08
atest comment