Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte officially assumed the post of Secretary General of NATO on October 1. He replaced Jens Stoltenberg in this position.
Points of attention
- Mark Rutte became the new Secretary General of NATO, appointing Ukraine as the main issue in his priorities.
- The new Secretary General emphasized the need to increase the alliance's collective defense capability and deter threats.
- Having declared the protection of his values and states, Rutte sets himself the task of making Ukraine a strong, democratic and independent country.
- Rutte said that the key task of NATO is to protect people, states and their values, and plans to continue the priorities of his predecessor in the alliance.
NATO got a new Secretary General
The handover ceremony takes place at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Stoltenberg said in his farewell speech that it was an honor for him to serve in NATO for 10 years.
Now it's time to leave, and for you to start your term as NATO Secretary General, Stoltenberg addressed Rütte, who was sitting next to him.
The new NATO Secretary General announced Ukraine as his priority
Mark Rutte, who officially became the new Secretary General of NATO, said that Ukraine will be the main issue on his list of priorities as the new head of the Alliance.
Rutte noted that Stoltenberg's priorities during his work as Secretary General will also be his priorities in the future.
Ukraine. We have to ensure that Ukraine survives as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation, said Rutte.
He emphasized that Ukraine is "at the top of the list" of his priorities. Other priorities, according to him, will be deterrence and defense of the Alliance.
We should spend more. We must raise our collective defenses. One thing will definitely not change. This is NATO's key mission: that we protect our people, our states and, of course, our values, Rütte emphasized.
