Mark Rutte Confirmed as NATO Secretary General

NATO ambassadors have confirmed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the alliance's next Secretary General. This was reported by AFP on June 26, citing a statement from the organization.

“NATO appoints the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Rutte, as the next leader of the alliance,” the agency's message stated on the X social media platform (formerly known as Twitter).

According to the Dutch NRK agency, Rutte had long expressed a preference to focus on his country’s politics, although he was mentioned as a potential successor to Stoltenberg. It was also reported that Rutte previously expressed the view that NATO’s new leader should be a woman.

Earlier, on June 20, Rutte himself stated in an interview with the NOS portal that he plans to take a three-month vacation before starting his duties at NATO.