NATO on Wednesday announced that the alliance selected the outgoing Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, to be its next Secretary General.
The military alliance said a statement, “The North Atlantic Council decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg.”
Rutte will assume his new position on October 1, 2024, when Stoltenberg’s 10-year term expires, the statement added.
The Prime Minister of Netherlands expressed his enthusiasm for the new role. In a post shared on X, Rutte said: “It is a tremendous honour to be appointed Secretary-General of NATO. The Alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security.”
It is a tremendous honour to be appointed Secretary-General of NATO. The Alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security. Leading this organisation is a responsibility I do not take lightly. I’m grateful to all the Allies for placing their trust in me. I…
— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) June 26, 2024
In addition, he thanked NATO leaders for choosing him to lead the alliance. “Leading this organisation is a responsibility I do not take lightly. I’m grateful to all the Allies for placing their trust in me,” Rutte wrote.
For his part, Stoltenberg warmly welcomed the selection of Rutte as his successor. He wrote on X: “Mark is a true transatlanticist, a strong leader and a consensus-builder. I wish him every success as we continue to strengthen NATO. I know I am leaving NATO in good hands.”
Challenging Task
Ambassadors from the alliance’s 32 members picked Rutte at a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. His selection came after his only rival, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced last week that he had to withdraw.
The NATO’s secretary general is the alliance’s top international civil servant. According to CNN, the NATO’s chief chairs all the alliance’s major committees. He also serves as its principal spokesperson and the leader of the bloc’s international staff.
The appointment of Rutte comes at a time when the alliance is facing many challenges, against the backdrop of the Ukraine war, Russia’s threats to NATO allies, and the possible return of NATO-skeptic Donald Trump to the White House in November.
