Türkiye has told its NATO allies that Ankara will back the Netherlands’ outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s candidacy for the military alliance’s secretary general position, a senior Turkish official said Monday.
The official said Türkiye notified NATO allies’ diplomats in Brussels on Monday. The decision comes three days after Rutte traveled to Türkiye to seek support from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his bid.
NATO members Türkiye and Hungary had earlier expressed reservations about Rutte’s candidacy, and Erdogan made no commitments during a joint news conference with Rutte on Friday.