Turkiye has expressed support for outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Rutte's bid to head NATO, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported on Monday, citing sources in the military alliance.

Turkije is om: Rutte mag van Ankara NAVO-chef worden
Het Turkse staatspersbureau Anadolu zegt dat Turkse functionarissen aan andere NAVO-landen hebben laten weten dat Turkije Rutte steunt. Ook persbureau Reuters heeft dit van Turkse bronnen gehoord. Eerder spraken bronnen binnen de NAVO al over de toezegging. De Roemeense president Klaus Iohannis heeft zichzelf opgeworpen als alternatief voor Rutte, maar krijgt weinig bijval.
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dailysabah |Türkiye to back Mark Rutte as next NATO chief
"NATO's southern wing needs Türkiye and its leadership," Rutte told a joint news conference with Erdoğan after their meeting. "Türkiye is a geopolitical actor with significant influence in the region. They're working to help end the war in Gaza. They're also making effort regarding the horrible war in Ukraine," Rutte had remarked.

Rutte came to Istanbul last week for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of the last holdouts. Only Turkiye, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania have not endorsed Rutte, who needs the support of all 32 member states to succeed Jens Stoltenberg....