Turkish president and Dutch prime minister discuss NATO chief candidacy
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said the choice of new NATO chief ‘will be made within the framework of the strategic wisdom and fairness’.
“Nobody should have any doubt that we will make our decision within the framework of strategic wisdom and fairness,” Erdogan said at a joint news conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at Vahdettin Palace in Istanbul.
Rutte recently announced his bid to become the next NATO secretary-general.
Erdogan said that the trade volume between the two countries reached Us$13.9bn last year and that Ankara hopes to initially increase it to Us$16bn and then to Us$21.4bn.
“With Us$6.4bn in investments, Turkish entrepreneurs provide employment for some 80,000 people in the Netherlands,” Erdogan added.
Erdogan said that the Dutch prime minister’s visit holds a special significance for the bilateral relations between the two nations.
He said that they reviewed the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries and reaffirmed their determination to take bilateral relations to further levels.
“We noted that our commercial and economic relations continue to deepen and strengthen. The Netherlands is the largest foreign investor in Turkey.
“New partnerships to be established in the defence industry, green and digital transformation, and energy sectors will con
tribute to achieving this goal,” the Turkish president added.
Erdogan also underlined the
importance of starting work on the update of the Customs Union with the EU as soon as possible,
saying that Turkey once again drew attention to the importance they attach to this issue.
He expressed that Ankara expects the Netherlands’ support in order for the EU to address the relations with Turkey from a ‘just and strategic perspective’.
He noted that preparations for the NATO summit of heads of state and government, scheduled to take place in Washington in July, were also on the agenda of the meeting.
Erdogan underlined the importance of the future secretary-general prioritising the preservation of NATO’S primary role in ensuring Euro-atlantic security.
“Furthermore, it is essential for intense and strong efforts, similar to those of (incumbent NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg), to be made in removing sanctions, restrictions, and obstacles in the
Erdogan said that the trade volume between the two countries reached Us$13.9bn last year and that Ankara hopes to initially increase it to Us$16bn and then to Us$21.4bn
defence industry among allies.
“I shared these points with Romanian President (Kalus) Iohannis, who has announced his candidacy for the secretary-general position, in a phone call held upon his request last week,” he added.