"On Wednesday (26 June 2024), the North Atlantic Council decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg," the Western military alliance said in a statement.
"Mr Rutte will assume his functions as Secretary General from 1 October 2024, when Mr Stoltenberg’s term expires after ten years at the helm of the Alliance," it added.
Mark Rutte. Photo: EPA/ZIPI via PAP
Poland's foreign ministry said in an X post: "Congratulations to Mark Rutte on being elected the incoming NATO Secretary General."
The Polish foreign ministry added: "We extend our gratitude to the outgoing Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for his steadfast leadership of the Alliance over the past decade."
Poland's Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on X that he looked forward to working with Rutte for the benefit of Poland and the alliance "to jointly overcome existing challenges and pave the way for enhanced security of all our nations."
Rutte, 57, said in an X post that he was honoured to be appointed the next secretary-general of NATO.
"The Alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security," he wrote. "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 look forward to taking up the position with great vigour in October, as successor to Jens Stoltenberg, who has provided NATO with outstanding leadership for the past 10 years, and for whom I have always had great admiration."
Stoltenberg wrote: "I warmly welcome NATO Allies' choice of Mark Rutte as my successor. Mark is a true transatlanticist, a strong leader and a consensus-builder. I wish him every success as we continue to strengthen NATO."
Rutte's appointment to succeed Stoltenberg became a formality after the Dutch politician's only rival for the post, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced last week that he was withdrawing from the race, news outlets reported.
According to Britain's The Guardian newspaper, Rutte is a strong supporter of Ukraine and takes the reins of the Western military alliance after nearly 14 years as Dutch prime minister and 18 as leader of his liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy.
His appointment comes amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and uncertainty over the United States' future approach to the transatlantic alliance, the Reuters news agency reported.
(gs)
Source: nato.int