President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he expected NATO’s next secretary general to prioritize Turkey’s terror-related concerns, as he met Friday with outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the leading candidate for the position, Agence France-Presse reported.
Erdoğan said the fight against terrorism was one of the leading topics during his discussions with Rutte, who was in İstanbul to rally Turkey’s support for his candidacy.
“We told him that in accordance with the alliance spirit, no terrorist organization, especially the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] and its affiliates should be tolerated,” Erdoğan told reporters, alongside Rutte.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies, has waged a decades-long insurgency for greater autonomy for the Kurdish minority in the southeast of the country.
In addition Erdoğan said it is “imperative for the new secretary general to make concerted efforts to remove sanctions, restrictions and obstacles in the defense industry among the allies.”
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is also a candidate for the NATO post, and Erdoğan said he conveyed Turkey’s requests to him during a phone call last week.
Erdoğan did not reveal Turkey’s choice between the two men but said the decision would be based on “reason,” even as he wished Rutte success on his “new journey.”
Rutte is the frontrunner to replace Jens Stoltenberg at the helm of the alliance after the United States, Britain and Germany expressed support for his candidacy.
Hungary, however, said the country would not support Rutte, who has previously voiced concern about weakening democratic standards under Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Rutte is also facing skepticism over the Netherlands’ failure to meet NATO’s defense spending targets over the past decade.
