Following his visit to Ankara, he is expected to travel to Athens on Tuesday for discussions with Greek officials, including Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. This marks Rutte’s first visit to both countries in his new role as NATO Secretary General.
The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and its youth wing KNE have declared Rutte as "unwelcome", organizing an anti-imperialist protest on Tuesday (26/11) morning in the center of Athens under the slogan "Neither soil nor water to the murderers of the peoples - Greece out of the War!".
From its side, on the occasion of NATO's head in Ankara, the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) issued the following statement:
"Mark Rutte, the new Secretary General of NATO, is coming to our country today. When the visitor is a NATO representative, there is no need to ask whether it is ‘good or bad’. On the other hand, this visit is taking place at a time when nuclear war is being talked about. Moreover, the NATO secretary is making his visit immediately after his meeting with Trump, who is preparing to take the US presidential seat soon.
While wars continue in the south and north of us, and these wars are gaining new dimensions with the introduction of new weapons, Rutte's visit will of course be related to the role our country will take in these bloody wars.
The representatives of the government, who roared ‘eyy imperialists’ (expression by Erdoğan while so-called defying imperialists) in the squares and on television, will pose hand in hand with the leader of the imperialists' armed forces today; they will negotiate the bloody scenarios in which they will include our country.
We do not accept that our country is associated with this hypocrisy or that it is included in this or that plan in line with the interests of the imperialists!
Those who tell us that the security of our country is beyond Turkey's borders are clearly telling a story. The first and foremost security problem of our country is the NATO bases, troops and bombs within our borders. As long as these exist, none of our citizens are safe.
You are not welcome, Rutte. And one day you will be expelled from our country with your troops, your bases and your bloody flag."
