Categories: News

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is likely to replace Stoltenberg at the head of NATO – media

Photo: Mark Rutte

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is likely to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO chief, Denmark's national broadcaster NOS reported on Tuesday after Rutte's candidacy was supported by Hungary and Slovakia, reports Reuters.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, Stoltenberg neither confirmed nor denied the media report. Stoltenberg's term ends on October 1, 10 years after he took office in 2014, just months after Russia annexed Crimea.

"Following the announcement by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, it is clear that we are very close to completing… the selection of the next Secretary General, and I think that is good news– Stoltenberg told reporters. – I think Mark – very strong candidate. He has extensive experience as Prime Minister. He is my close friend and colleague, and therefore I am firmly confident that very soon the alliance will decide on my successor.”.

Hungary's support follows Orbán's meeting with Stoltenberg last week, where the parties agreed that Hungary would not block NATO decisions to provide support to Ukraine, but also would not participate in providing that support.

Thereafter Orbán wrote on media platform X that Rutte confirmed that he fully supports this agreement and will continue to support it if he becomes the next Secretary General of NATO.

"In light of his promise, Hungary is ready to support the candidacy of Prime Minister -Minister Rutte for the post of NATO Secretary General", – wrote Orban.

Previously, Orban opposed Rutte's candidacy, since the head of the Dutch government, in particular, stated that Hungary should leave the EU.

Turkey and Slovakia also changed course in On Rutte's candidacy, Turkey said it would support him in late April, and Slovakia announced its support earlier on Tuesday. Only Romania, whose president Klaus Iohannis is also vying for the position, remains officially opposed to Rutte's candidacy.

Prepared by: Sergei Daga

Natasha Kumar

Natasha Kumar has been a reporter on the news desk since 2018. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining The Times Hub, Natasha Kumar worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my natasha@thetimeshub.in 1-800-268-7116

Share
Published by
Natasha Kumar

Recent Posts

Movie premieres July 2024 – the best new movies worth watching

Film premieres of July, which are worth seeing/Collage of Radio MAXIMUM July, although not too…

6 mins ago

American and German companies have presented a new jet system that is superior to HIMARS

The new GMARS multiple rocket launcher system from Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall surpasses HIMARS in terms…

6 mins ago

Ukrainian unmanned boats have become a model for the US Navy

Ukraine managed to disable at least one third of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia…

7 mins ago

The world's largest logistics company has started using robots

One of the world's largest logistics companies, GXO, has started using Apptronik Apollo robots in…

2 hours ago

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 will be available in three color options and many premium features

It is reported that OnePlus plans to release its the next-generation OnePlus Buds Pro 3 headphones sit…

4 hours ago

The first transatlantic flight attempt on a hydrogen balloon failed due to weather

The first attempt to cross the Atlantic in an open basket hydrogen balloon failed due…

4 hours ago