NATO officially selects Mr. Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General

Reuters reported on June 26 that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has officially chosen Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General, replacing Mr. Jens Stoltenberg.

Mr. Rutte was officially appointed as NATO Secretary General after his only rival, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced last week that he was withdrawing from the race.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte appointed NATO Secretary General

The new NATO Secretary General will take office in October, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and uncertain prospects for the US stance towards the transatlantic alliance.

Born on February 14, 1967, Mr. Rutte held various positions as state secretary for social affairs, employment and culture, before becoming leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) in 2006. He became Prime Minister of the Netherlands on October 14, 2010 and is the longest-serving prime minister in the country.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (right) and his successor Mark Rutte

In July 2023, he announced that he would resign and campaign for the NATO leadership position. The history graduate is a pro-Ukrainian politician who quickly won the support of the United States and many European countries.

However, according to DW, it took him more time to convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Observers say Mr. Rutte's main task in his new position will be to balance the conflicts of interest among 32 NATO members so that the organization has a unified voice.

According to journalist Sheila Sitalsin of the Dutch newspaper Vokskrant , Mr. Rutte once said that true leadership requires the ability to listen and understand different points of view.

"This attitude could serve him well as head of NATO. After all, Mr. Rutte is a successful crisis manager," said journalist Sitalsin.

Mr Rutte must also be prepared for the possibility that former US President Donald Trump returns to the White House and puts pressure on other NATO members on military spending.

Mr Rutte and Mr Trump developed a surprisingly positive relationship during Mr Trump’s first term in office, with Mr Trump calling Mr Rutte a friend. However, Mr Rutte has been critical of Mr Trump’s protectionist economic policies.

Speaking after Mr Rutte was officially chosen, Mr Stoltenberg praised his successor Mark Rutte as a "true transatlanticist, strong leader and consensus builder".

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nato-chinh-thuc-chon-ong-mark-rutte-lam-tong-thu-ky-ke-nhiem-18524062615545903.htm