Erdoğan Speaks with Rutte in Phone Call – Milliyet News
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Congratulates Mark Rutte on NATO Secretary General Position
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently had a telephone conversation with Mark Rutte, who was elected as the new NATO Secretary General. During the meeting, President Erdoğan expressed his well wishes for Rutte’s success in his new role, to which Rutte responded by thanking Erdoğan for his support.
NATO made the official announcement of appointing Dutch Prime Minister Rutte as the union’s new Secretary General. According to the statement released by NATO, Rutte will officially take over from Jens Stoltenberg on October 1.
Rutte’s appointment comes after his resignation as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands on July 7, following the collapse of the coalition government. He expressed his intention to continue serving as Prime Minister until the formation of a new government and then exit active politics. With Stoltenberg’s decision to not seek another term, Rutte announced his candidacy for the position of NATO Secretary General.
Having gained the support of numerous countries in a short period of time, Rutte received the final approval from Hungary on June 18. Eventually, he became the sole candidate after the withdrawal of the other contender, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, on June 20.
Following Rutte’s election, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a congratulatory message, stating, ‘We congratulate Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on being appointed as the new NATO Secretary General with the unanimous consent of all Allies. We also extend our appreciation to Secretary General Stoltenberg for his successful leadership since assuming office in 2014.’
As Rutte prepares to assume his new role within NATO, President Erdoğan and other world leaders have expressed their support and confidence in his ability to lead the organization effectively.
