Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Sunday discussed bilateral relations as well as the process of appointing a new NATO secretary general, Turkish media reported.
In the telephone conversation, Erdogan expressed to Rutte, a candidate for the role, Turkey’s expectations of the next NATO chief, the Turkish Communications Authority reported.
He emphasised that the new NATO chief must “best serve the security and interests of alliance members in the fight against terrorism and other challenges, strengthen alliance unity, prioritise NATO’s fundamental duty and fulfil credible commitments to uphold the alliance’s core values and established practices, and take into account the sensitivities of non-EU allies.”
According to the statement, Erdoğan further said:
“In light of these principles, strategic thinking and fairness will guide Turkey’s decision-making process concerning the matter.”
Rutte, for his part, wrote on X:
“I just spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. First, we took the opportunity to mark a special milestone: the 100th anniversary this year of the conclusion (of) the Treaty of Friendship between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Turkey. Other topics we discussed included our efforts to support Ukraine and ways of taking rapid and decisive action to improve the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
