Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte was officially appointed as the new Secretary General of NATO on Wednesday. He succeeds the Norwegian Jens Scholtenberg. Rutte will take office at the beginning of October.
Just last week, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis cleared the way for Rutte to lead NATO with the withdrawal of his opponent.
The Dutchman takes over the post at a difficult stage in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. NATO is also preparing for a possible re-election of former US President Donald Trump and a weaker US role in the transatlantic alliance.
Broad support for Rutte
The US, Germany, Britain and France had already campaigned for Rutte in February. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for example, declared the Dutchman an “excellent candidate” with his “vast experience, his great expertise in the field of security policy and his strong diplomatic skills”.
Blockade by Hungary, Romania
Last Tuesday, Hungary and Slovakia gave up their resistance to Rutte after months of blockade, and Romania followed on Thursday of the previous week.
Source: Krone
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