Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in a phone call on Sunday that Ankara would back a candidate to be NATO's new chief based on its expectations and needs, the Turkish presidency said.

Erdogan told outgoing premier Rutte that Turkey expected the new head of the security alliance to serve the needs and interests of allies regarding counterterrorism and to take account of the sensitivities of non-European Union member allies, according to a statement from his office.