Elena Buturlim11:26, 06/26/24

NATO ambassadors have approved the candidacy of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands to lead the alliance.

On Wednesday, June 26, NATO ambassadors elected Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next head of the Alliance, writes Reuters .

“The North Atlantic Council has decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg,” a NATO statement said.

Rutte will begin his duties as secretary general on October 1, 2024, when Jens Stoltenberg’s term expires after ten years at the helm of the alliance.

Stoltenberg said he warmly welcomed Rutte’s selection as his successor: “Mark is a true transatlantic, a strong leader and a consensus builder. I know I am leaving NATO in good hands,” he said.

It is noted that Rutte’s appointment became a formality after his only rival for the post, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced that he had withdrawn from the race after failing to get enough votes.

It’s worth noting that after declaring his interest in the job last year, Rutte has secured support from key alliance members including the US, UK, France and Germany. Others were more reticent, especially Eastern European countries, which argued that this would be the first time someone from their region had held the position.

New NATO leadership

Jens Stoltenberg called the Dutch Prime Minister a strong candidate for the post of NATO Secretary General, but stressed that he usually refrains from commenting on his successor because he is not the one who chooses him.

Earlier, UNIAN wrote that Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban on the sidelines of an EU dinner and promised him to allow Hungary not to participate in NATO activities to support Kyiv in exchange for lifting the veto on his candidacy for the position of Secretary General of the Alliance.

(C)UNIAN 2024