(Bloomberg) – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will be the next Secretary General of NATO who will succeed Jens Stoltenberg who will step down later this year, the military alliance said in a statement.
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All 32 allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreed that Rutte, 57, will take over from Stoltenberg on October 1, when his term ends, the statement said. Stoltenberg led the NATO alliance for ten years.
“I know I am leaving NATO in good hands,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.
Rutte’s path was cleared when the Romanian became president Klaus Johannis withdrew last week as the only other candidate still in the running.
Romania, Hungary and Slovakia were the last three countries to back Rutte, who received early support from a majority of allies including the US, France and Germany. The three countries ultimately supported the Dutch leader in recent days.
EU leaders were quick to congratulate Rutte on his appointment.
“I am confident you will continue @jensstoltenberg’s excellent work to keep NATO strong and united as we work to strengthen our collective defense and support Ukraine’s fight for freedom,” said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a message on X.
(Updates with Sunak’s response in last paragraph. An earlier version corrected a reference to NATO in the headline)
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