Hungary Lifts Veto on NATO Secretary General Position for Dutch Prime Minister Rutte
The current Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, is now the leading contender for the position of NATO Secretary General. Previously, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán opposed his candidacy. However, after Rutte assured Orbán that he would not involve Hungarian troops or spend Hungarian funds to support Ukraine, he gained Hungary's backing, writes Euronews.
Mark Rutte sent a letter to Viktor Orbán following their personal negotiations on June 17 in Brussels during an informal EU leaders' meeting. In his letter, Rutte stated that he would adhere to the agreement made between Stoltenberg and Orbán in Budapest last week, which confirmed that Hungary would not be involved in NATO's support of Ukraine.
"After the meeting in Brussels, Rutte confirmed that he fully supports this agreement and will continue to do so if he becomes the next NATO Secretary General. In light of his promise, Hungary is ready to support the candidacy of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the post of NATO Secretary General," Viktor Orbán stated.
Notably, following the Hungarian Prime Minister's statement, Rutte has gained the support of almost all NATO allies, including the US and Germany. Turkey, which previously opposed Rutte's candidacy, also reversed its position and supported him in April.
Currently, among the 32 member countries of the alliance, only Romania remains undecided regarding Rutte's candidacy. The issue lies in the fact that the country's president, Klaus Iohannis, also announced his desire to become the next NATO Secretary General in March but has not managed to garner the same level of support as Rutte.
The current NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, whose term ends on October 1, stated that the decision on selecting the new Secretary General is nearly complete. Jens Stoltenberg described Rutte as a "strong candidate."
It is important to note that the appointment of a new NATO Secretary General requires the support of all member countries of the Alliance.