German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is backing outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the post of NATO secretary general, his spokesman Steffen Heberstreit said.
“With his vast experience, expertise in security policy and keen sense of diplomacy, he is an excellent candidate” to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, Heberstreit said in a post on Platform X, announcing that the German Chancellor backs Rutte.
A little earlier, after the US and Britain, a high-ranking French official told Reuters that Paris also supports Rutte. The source, who asked to remain anonymous, noted that French President Emmanuel Macron was among the first to propose the Dutch politician for the post a year ago.
Diplomatic sources said Rutte is the only candidate for the post at the moment in behind-the-scenes discussions, although Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has recently been floated in informal talks. But with the support of Washington, the big three European countries and 16 other NATO countries – according to diplomats – Rutte is already in an advantageous position and any opponent would fight hard to prevail.
Source: RES-MPE
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