The withdrawal of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis from the race has cleared the way for the election of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as Secretary General of NATO, reported France Presse, quoted by BTA.
The 65-year-old leader said he had informed the Atlantic alliance countries that he was throwing in the towel, the Supreme National Defense Council, which decided to back Rutte after the decision, said in a statement.
This is the final end to the intrigue surrounding the next Secretary General. The chances of the Romanian leader, who revealed his ambitions in March, saying he wanted to personify the eastern flank of the Atlantic alliance, initially seemed slim with American support given to Mark Rutte, notes AFP.
However, his candidacy was serious: Romania gained positions within the alliance thanks to its strategic position on the border with Ukraine and Moldova, which are not members of NATO. It also borders the Black Sea, and more than 5,000 NATO troops are stationed there.
But Klaus Iohannis failed to convince the other 31 countries in the alliance. Only Hungary, led by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, backed him before he joined strong favorite Rutte on Tuesday.
A decision on the appointment of the 57-year-old Dutch leader, which was reached by consensus among member states to the post, which is reserved for a European, is expected to be announced by the summit in Washington in July.
Jens Stoltenberg's term ends on October 1.