On June 26, it became officially known that the head of the government of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, was officially approved for the post of NATO Secretary General.
Points of attention
- He will start his work on October 1, 2024.
- The politician is a longtime supporter of Ukraine and condemns Russia's aggression.
- The new NATO Secretary General emphasises the importance of unity in achieving peace in Ukraine and notes that the world is only at the beginning of the path to peace.
Mark Rutte's path to the post of NATO Secretary General
According to Reuters, his candidacy has already been approved by reps of all 32 member states of the Alliance.
As is known, he will replace the current General Secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, in this position.
Mark Rutte will officially take office on October 1, 2024.
A week ago, it was also known that Romanian President Klaus Iohannis withdrew his candidacy for the NATO Secretary General post, which finally opened the way for the appointment of Rutte.
Shortly before that, Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán's team also withdrew its objections to Mark Rutte's appointment as the new NATO Secretary General.
It is also impossible not to mention that he held the position of prime minister for a record number of years in the modern history of the Netherlands.
Mark Rutte first became head of government in 2010 and, in August 2022, exceeded the term of the previous "record holder" Ruud Lubbers, who was prime minister from the end of 1982 to the end of the summer of 1994.
What Rutte said about the Russian-Ukrainian war
It is important to understand that the politician has long supported Ukraine, so he quickly won the support of key NATO countries.
He met with the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy several times.
Mark Rutte recently announced that the Netherlands is allocating 138 million euros for the implementation of various projects for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Also, the new Secretary General strongly condemns Russia's aggression and crimes.
The war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine is truly a global problem today. And we all know that we are only at the beginning of the road to peace. Sometimes, there are different opinions about exactly how to achieve peace for Ukraine, but one thing cannot be mistaken: we are completely united. We have a common vision of principles, values, and decency.
Mark Rutte
NATO Secretary General-Elect
