Hungary and Slovakia have expressed their readiness to support Mark Rutte's candidacy for the position of the next Secretary General of NATO. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who until now was against the appointment of his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte as the head of NATO, finally decided to support his candidacy after receiving the necessary guarantees.

According to Azernews, after receiving the support of the majority of NATO members, including the United States, Mark Rutten is expected to replace Jens Stoltenberg from Norway in the post of Secretary General of this organization by the end of the year.

"I think it is clear that we are approaching a decision within the Alliance. In my opinion, this is good news," said Jens Stoltenberg during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington.

"Mark Rutte has confirmed that if he comes to this position, Hungary will not be obliged to participate in the activities of the North Atlantic Alliance in Ukraine, and considering this obligation, Hungary is ready to support him," Viktor Orbán said. This green light from Budapest paved the way for Mark Rutten to replace Jens Stoltenberg, whose mandate will end on October 1.

Slovakia, which has not officially announced its decision yet, has also given the green light. Thus, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini also announced that he supports Mark Rutte's candidacy.

Romania, which presented its candidate in the form of former president Klaus Iohannis, is the last member not to express its support.

Turkey announced the agreement back in April. As for Klaus Iohannis, he should announce his withdrawal soon, according to NATO diplomats, while Romania is silent for now.