Mark Rutte will become the new Secretary General of NATO: what does this mean for the alliance?

On June 26, 2024, the Council of the North Atlantic Defense Alliance (NATO) officially appointed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General, replacing Jens Stoltenberg. This is reported on the official website of NATO.

According to plans, Mark Rutte will take over as Secretary General from October 1, 2024, when the term of office of Jens Stoltenberg, who led the alliance for ten years, ends. Rutte's appointment comes after he expressed his interest in the post last year and won the support of key NATO members, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

According to Reuters, some countries, especially from Central and Eastern Europe, expressed their desire for the post of Secretary General to go to a representative of their region. However, Rutte received support because of his active position in relations with Russia and support for Ukraine.

Mark Rutte's appointment became a formality after his only rival for the post, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced last week that he was withdrawing from the race, citing a lack of support.

Jens Stoltenberg himself reacted positively to Rutte's election, calling him "a real transatlantic, a strong leader and a master of consensus." He expressed his conviction that NATO will remain in safe hands under the leadership of the new Secretary General.

It should be noted that Mark Rutte has considerable experience in politics and international relations, which gives reason to expect the active development of NATO's strategic initiatives under his leadership.