Mark Rutte had announced plans for a three-month sabbatical before assuming the role of NATO secretary general.
On Wednesday, AFP reported that Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been officially approved by NATO allies to become the next secretary general of the alliance.
Rutte has been the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010 and leads the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), a liberal political party.
Before his tenure as Prime Minister, he was the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment from 2003 to 2006, and the Minister of Education, Culture and Science from 2006 to 2010.
The current NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, had his term extended twice, first beyond the initial end date of October 2022 to October 2023, and then again to October 2024.
“I warmly welcome NATO Allies’ choice of Mark Rutte as my successor. Mark is a true transatlanticist, a strong leader and a consensus-builder,” Stoltenberg said on social media after NATO ambassadors approved the appointment. “I know I am leaving NATO in good hands,” he added.
Meanwhiel, 23 out of 32 member countries are on course to fulfil a decade-old pledge to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense, a long-standing requirement from Washington.
During a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, Stoltenberg stated, “This year, 23 allies will spend 2% of GDP or more on defense.”
He further noted, “NATO allies are increasing defence spending by 18% this year. This is the largest increase in decades.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, Biden’s rival in the upcoming November election, frequently expressed frustration with the allies, whom he felt were not contributing enough.
