New NATO chief says he sees 'eye to eye' with Türkiye on counterterrorism

The new NATO chief Mark Rutte has said that on counterterrorism, he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "see eye to eye," adding that "fighting terrorism is something we also have to take up within the NATO context."

At his first press conference on Tuesday as NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte emphasised that strengthening defence capabilities, supporting Ukraine against Russia, and addressing global threats to Euro-Atlantic security are his new priorities in his new post.

Asked about Türkiye's expectations on the fight against terrorism and the lifting of embargoes between NATO allies, Rutte replied: "This is a very important issue."

Stating he had discussed these issues multiple times with Turkish President Erdogan, Rutte added that the two worked together during his 14 years as Dutch prime minister.

"I think I could say we are close friends, and we see eye to eye on this, and clearly fighting terrorism is something we also have to take up within the NATO context," he said.

Türkiye, a member of NATO for 72 years, has urged fellow alliance members to take a more principled stance against terrorist groups, citing in particular some NATO members’ support for the terrorist YPG/PKK, a terrorist group that threatens Türkiye’s borders.

"Unfortunately, we have not received the expected level of support and solidarity from our allies thus far. We cannot tolerate this situation, nor is it consistent with the spirit of alliance, for the ringleaders of terrorist organizations that pose a threat to Türkiye's national security to be accepted as legitimate actors,” Erdogan said in a July magazine interview.

Also in June, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan decried such restrictions between NATO allies, a long-standing issue for Ankara, saying: “Sanctions and restrictions not only affect the allied country subject to them but also undermine NATO's deterrent capability and defence capacity."