June 26, 2024 10:08 PM.
The North Atlantic Council decided to appoint outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO in a statement today said, Rutte will assume his duties as NATO’s Secretary General on 1st October.
On 19th June Romanian President Klaus Iohannis officially announced his withdrawal from the race for NATO’s Secretary General. Consequently, Rutte has gained the support of all 32 member countries.
Mark Rutte (57), whose 14-year term as Dutch Prime Minister is set to end within weeks, will be the fourth Dutchman to head the 75-year-old alliance. The Netherlands is a founding member of NATO.
NATO’s Secretary General is responsible for coordinating the alliance and is one of NATO’s most important officials, alongside the chair of the NATO Military Committee and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
