NATO ambassadors today, June 26, elected Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next head of the North Atlantic Alliance.
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The decision was made at a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Reuters reports.
Rutte’s appointment was a formality after his only rival for the post, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced last week that he was withdrawing his candidacy because he failed to secure enough votes.
Rutte will begin serving as NATO Secretary General on October 1, 2024 and will replace Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg in this post.
Rutte said he was looking forward to getting to work “with great energy.”
The Alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security. Leading this organization is a responsibility that I do not take lightly,” he emphasized on the X social network page.
Having announced his interest in the post last year, Rutte immediately received support from key alliance members – the United States, Britain, France and Germany.
Others were more reserved, particularly in eastern European countries, which argued that the job should go to someone from their region for the first time. But they ultimately backed Rutte, known as a fierce critic of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
From the very beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Rutte spoke out in support of Ukraine. In particular, he became one of the initiators of the fighter coalition that transferred F-16 aircraft to Ukraine.
Rutte was born in 1967 in The Hague. He received a master’s degree in history from Leiden University. He began his political career in 2002, before that he worked in a food company. For the last 14 years – since 2010 – he has headed the government of the Netherlands.
Source: Reuters
All NATO countries have approved the candidacy of Mark Rutte for the post of new Secretary General
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.