Rutte commented on restrictions on the Turkish media while in Ankara
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was asked by reporters about the restrictions imposed on the Turkish media ahead of the Alliance’s summit in Ankara.
The questions were raised during his briefing with the press on the eve of the summit’s official events.
Rutte—as is customary at every summit—began his remarks by thanking the host country for hosting the meeting of Alliance leaders. As is well known, Turkey is fulfilling this role this year. A Dutch journalist drew attention to this, asking the Secretary General whether there was a contradiction between this and the problems with holding fair elections in Turkey.
In his response, the NATO Secretary General avoided harsh criticism of Turkey but acknowledged the problems in the country.
“Elections are just one component of democracy. Democracy also requires a free media that can ask whatever questions it wants and write whatever it wants,” he noted. “When it comes to the media, it is important to NATO that the media be able to cover Alliance events in person,” the Secretary General emphasized.
This was reported by a correspondent for “European Truth.”
Following Russia’s attack, Rutte called on allies to step up their assistance to Ukraine.
Thus, NATO believes that the allies’ main task now remains the further strengthening of Ukraine. According to Rutte, only a strong position by Kyiv can create the conditions under which Moscow will ultimately be forced to agree to substantive negotiations on ending the war. This was reported by the Financial Times.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte of misrepresenting the country’s role during the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. The Alliance leader’s statement sparked a political scandal in Italy and drew a wave of criticism from the opposition.
