Outgoing Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has said he is “definitely optimistic” about being appointed new secretary general of Nato, but that the job is not yet a certainty.

Romania, Slovakia and Hungary still have to approve Rutte’s appointment, which must be unanimous, but Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán said earlier this week he is still not convinced by the Dutchman’s candidacy.

Rutte told television current affairs show Nieuwsuur in an interview that he is not planning to grab the phone and make calls. “I am not going to phone people and say ‘vote for me’,” he told the show.

A personal visit to Turkey and president Recep Tayyip Erdogan did result in Ankara’s backing.

A two-day informal Nato summit begins in Prague later on Thursday to discuss the war in Ukraine. Officials hope to have finalised the new leadership by the main summit in Washington in July.

Dick Schoof

During the interview, Rutte was also full of praise for Dick Schoof who is set to succeed him as prime minister, for the new right-wing government. “He can take decisions, he is tough, can advise and be persuasive,” said Rutte, who has been prime minister for 13 years.

“His advantage is that he will be more removed from party politics than I was,” he said. “I had a VVD stamp. He is completely independent and that gives different options.”

Schoof at his first press conference that Rutte was an “inspiration”.