Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has dropped his opposition to the appointment of outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the new Secretary General of NATO. Orban said on Tuesday that Hungary was ready to support Rutte’s candidacy.
This means that the path is as good as clear for Rutte to succeed Jens Stoltenberg. The only hurdle is the candidacy of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis for the top NATO job, which he has not publicly withdrawn until recently. However, Iohannis no longer has any relevant supporters.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini also signaled support for Rutte on Tuesday. He said: “After consultations with both candidates, as well as with Prime Minister Robert Fico and the Slovak government, the Slovak Republic can imagine supporting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the post of head of the alliance.”
The Hungarian Orbán cited a letter from Rutte in which he responded to Hungarian demands as the reason for his concession on the personnel issue on Tuesday. One of the issues is that Hungary wants to be sure that it will not be pressured into participating in a planned NATO mission to coordinate arms deliveries to Ukraine. Orbán’s government fears that the project could push the alliance into a direct confrontation with Russia.
The current contract of the incumbent NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg runs until October 1. He had announced several times in the past that he wanted to give up the post. Last summer, however, attempts by member states to agree on a successor failed.
