Romanian Prime Minister continues to pursue top post at NATO

Mark Rutte is the big favorite and seems to have the position of Secretary General of NATO in his pocket, but Romanian Prime Minister Klaus Johannis is not yet prepared to give up his candidacy. In fact, he expressed his wish again on Tuesday during a visit to US President Joe Biden. Rutte has 29 of the 32 NATO countries behind him, but does he still have something to fear?

“No,” answers diplomacy expert Robert van de Roer in Good Morning Netherlands on NPO 1. “The White House supports Rutte. The expectation is that Johannis will count his knots and withdraw.”

The diplomatic world accuses the Romanian Prime Minister of “irrational behavior”, says Van de Roer. “He is going to Washington to receive an award and has combined this last minute. There was also a lot of fuss about whether this meeting should happen.”

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Although the Americans are in favor of Rutte, they let Johannis talk. “They want to respect the Romanians. Biden has praised Johannis to the heavens, calling him a top ally. Meanwhile, a press employee has said: we support Mark Rutte. For the Americans, Johannis’ candidacy is not a public item to communicate. That says enough.”

Kamikaze pilot

Is the Romanian president possibly trying to get something else out of it? “Initially he hoped to obtain a top position within the European Union, but he skillfully ruined that with this behavior. If you operate like a kamikaze pilot, you do not nominate yourself for a multilateral job with 27 countries in the EU, where you have to be an oil man all the time and not come in with a straight leg,” says the diplomacy expert.

Spare change

Johannis may be able to get something else out of the Americans. “The Americans have 1,800 troops on the ground in Romania. Romania plays an important role in the war in Ukraine. Who knows, maybe they’ll get more troops on the ground, extra training, extra weapons. Change is always possible.”

The Americans will become nervous if the Romanian does not quickly put his money where his mouth is, says Van de Roer. “Then their top will come into view in July and they don’t want any fuss about figures.”

In the meantime, Rutte does not have to fear that other candidates will emerge. Even though the name goes by former UK Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary David Cameron. “British Prime Minister Sunak supports Rutte. The cards are well placed.”

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