By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL -NATO will get a new secretary-general as current NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will be stepping down and how that will affect Turkiye has been an ongoing discussion in Ankara. Turkiye along with other NATO members supports outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte who will take over as NATO chief for the next five years. Though Turkiye initially had reservations about Rutte’s stance on counterterrorism, sanctions against the Turkish defense industry and relations between the alliance and the European Union – Rutte who met Erdogan in April, praised Turkiye’s leadership in NATO. As Rutte said: “Turkiye is a geopolitical actor with significant influence in the region. They’re working to help end the war in Gaza. They’re also making an effort regarding the horrible war in Ukraine.” With the second largest army in NATO, Turkiye’s military and strategic power is a major asset for NATO. The Turkish government is particularly concerned about terrorist groups such as the PKK and Daesh not only operating in Turkiye but abroad as well which is why the most recent raids in Istanbul by Turkish law enforcement ended up in a multitude of terror cells being arrested.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has praised current NATO chief Stoltenberg who frequently lauded Turkiye’s role in global diplomacy and praised it for hosting millions of refugees. Stoltenberg was also supportive of Turkiye, in opposing sanctions that targeted Turkiye’s defense sector. Meanwhile, Rutte’s stance on NATO-EU relations has been a crucial issue for Turkiye as Turkish diplomats have pointed out that the EU is a political alliance while NATO is a military alliance. Rutte’s appointment is expected to be announced in Washington D.C. at the upcoming 75th anniversary NATO Summit that will meet July 9-11. He is expected to take the position of NATO chief on October 1 when Stoltenberg’s term ends. Rutte will be facing numerous challenges when he takes over as NATO head but as a solid backer of Ukraine, Rutte gained support from the U.S., Britain, France and Germany. Meanwhile, Rutte reiterated that his major challenge will be “to ensure that defense spending remains high in Europe – given the world we’re living in.” Just a week ago, NATO announced that 23 out of its 32-member countries, achieved the alliance target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Rutte will be the fourth Dutchman to lead NATO and has garnered support from member states because of his experience and his keen awareness of the danger Russia poses to Europe. It was Rutte who led efforts to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine right after Russia’s 2022 invasion.
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