Turkey says it backs outgoing Dutch prime minister Rutte’s candidacy for NATO chief WSB-TV Channel 2 [Video]

ANKARA, Turkey — (AP) — Turkey 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 Turkey notified NATO allies’ diplomats in Brussels on Monday. The decision comes three days after Rutte traveled to Turkey to seek support from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his bid. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish government protocol.

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 sought 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, and Erdogan made no commitments during a joint news conference with Rutte on …