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NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised Türkiye's significant role within the alliance and highlighted ongoing peace efforts for Ukraine during his visit to Antalya for the NATO foreign ministers' informal meeting.
"Türkiye plays a massive role within NATO on many fronts. President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan is an incredible leader within NATO and a figure truly respected by his colleagues," Rutte told the Anadolu Agency in Antalya.
The NATO chief emphasized the importance of Türkiye's defense industry infrastructure for NATO's capabilities, noting that Russia, despite being only one-twenty-fifth of the alliance's economic power, can produce in three months what NATO produces in ammunition in a year.
Rutte expressed that they need Türkiye's defense industry and hope for increased production in the future, which would benefit both the Turkish economy and NATO's defense. He underlined that Türkiye sets an example for other NATO members in this regard.
Pointing to progress in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks, Rutte referenced the online Ukraine Volunteers Coalition meeting held on May 10 with Türkiye's participation. He noted that U.S. President Donald Trump had eliminated the "deadlock" between the parties.
"We must bring Ukraine step by step to a place with lasting peace," he stated.
Regarding the Istanbul peace negotiations, Rutte said, "It's difficult for me to decide what will happen in the next 24-48 hours. I'm in close contact with all the main players." He added that the next 10-15 days present significant opportunities to move the Ukraine issue to a better position under the leadership of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Rutte highlighted that NATO includes non-EU European countries like Türkiye, the U.K. and Norway. "I encourage the EU to work as closely as possible with Türkiye, Norway, the UK, and us. So when there are initiatives, let's ensure they're spread not just within the EU, but across Europe," he said.
The secretary general noted that EU countries being open to defense industry production initiatives with non-EU European countries would be more beneficial for everyone.
When asked about the PKK terrorist group's decision to dissolve and lay down arms, Rutte responded, "This is a very, very important development. Let's not forget that Türkiye is one of the allies most affected by terrorist attacks within NATO."
Rutte emphasized that fighting terrorism is one of NATO's main tasks: "(NATO's main task is) To protect us from the Russians. We must accept what's happening in China, the building of the Chinese army. But there's also the terrorist threat."
Stressing that the organization's self-dissolution is very important for Türkiye and the alliance, Rutte added, "My impression is that Turkish authorities are using this development to ensure this part of the Alliance is even safer. The Alliance is ready to provide any kind of help on terrorism."
"I am confident that the NATO Summit in The Hague will be a leap forward and a great success, showing NATO's collective power in the world and its readiness to defend itself, with the support of Türkiye and President (Erdogan)," Rutte stated regarding the NATO Summit to be held in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-26.
Regarding NATO's future European security architecture and enlargement policy, Rutte stated that Ukraine and other countries have the right to express their intentions to become NATO members, adding that after this intention is expressed, it would be evaluated by all 32 member countries.
"We never promised NATO membership to Ukraine or anyone else at the table as part of a peace agreement. It could have happened, but no such promise was made," Rutte clarified.
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