"It is clear that most countries support the candidacy of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Hungary cannot do this, since NATO is a defensive alliance, where a high level of trust in the leadership is necessary. We, on the Hungarian side, cannot trust not only at a high level, but at any level at all, the person who previously spoke about bringing Hungary to its knees. I think this is clear to everyone," Szijjarto told Hungarian reporters after the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.
The NATO head has never been from Central or Eastern Europe, Szijjarto said.
The top Hungarian diplomat added that it is time to "declare openly about this idea," having welcomed the candidacy of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis for the secretary-general post.
The issue should be resolved before the NATO summit in Washington in July, Szijjarto said.