NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has expressed gratitude to Türkiye for its diplomatic efforts in achieving the recent ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting Ankara’s significant contribution to regional stability and its ongoing support in strengthening Iraq’s security and defense forces.
Speaking at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) meeting in Slovenia, Rutte responded to a question from Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, head of the Turkish delegation and AK Party MP, about how Israel’s actions in Gaza have affected NATO’s overall security environment.
At the beginning of his remarks, Rutte thanked Türkiye for its constructive role in the ceasefire process and extended appreciation to the United States, Egypt, and Qatar for their involvement.
“I know that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his team have been working intensively with these countries on the Gaza issue,” he said. “This development is a major step forward, and I hope it inspires us, together with Europe and the United States, to do everything possible to end the brutal war in Ukraine.”
Rutte emphasized that NATO continues to closely monitor developments in the Middle East but noted that “the alliance holds diverse perspectives regarding the Israel-Gaza situation.” He reminded that NATO’s operational focus remains within the Euro-Atlantic area, but added, “Our mission in Iraq is an exception — and Türkiye plays a crucial role there, helping Iraqi forces build their own defense and security capabilities.”
Turning to the defense industry, Rutte stressed that EU defense projects should remain “transparent and open” to non-EU NATO allies.
He also pointed out that Türkiye’s defense ecosystem includes over 3,000 companies, adding: “A munitions factory in Texas, for instance, couldn’t meet its production needs without the supply chain support from Türkiye. This shows how deeply interconnected transatlantic defense cooperation has become.”
