Rutte Says It is Tremendous Honor to Be Appointed Secretary General of NATO

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that it is a tremendous honor for him to be appointed as secretary general of NATO.

"It is a tremendous honor to be appointed Secretary-General of NATO. The Alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security. Leading this organization is a responsibility I do not take lightly. I’m grateful to all the Allies for placing their trust in me. I look forward to taking up the position with great vigor in October as successor to [Jens Stoltenberg], who has provided NATO with outstanding leadership for the past 10 years and for whom I have always had great admiration," Rutte wrote on X.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the election of Rutte, saying that he leaves it "in good hands."

"I warmly welcome #NATO Allies' choice of [...] Mark Rutte as my successor. Mark is a true transatlanticist, a strong leader and a consensus-builder. I wish him every success as we continue to strengthen NATO. I know I am leaving NATO in good hands," Stoltenberg wrote on X.

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However, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the change in NATO Secretary General is unlikely to help alter the alliance’s line on strategic suppression of Russia.

“It is unlikely that this choice can change anything in the general line of NATO. The alliance as a whole and member countries under the direct leadership of the United States individually are working to strategically suppress Russia. At the moment, this is an enemy alliance for us,” Peskov said.

To be appointed to NATO's highest position, Rutte needed support from all 32 member countries. Initially backed by the US, UK, Germany, and France, he faced reservations from Turkey, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania. Rutte secured Turkey’s approval by personally persuading President Erdogan and later gained support from Hungary and Slovakia, promising Hungary the right to abstain participation in alliance activities outside its territory in support of Ukraine. Romania eventually agreed as well.

Rutte had been the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010, leading four consecutive cabinets over nearly 14 years, the longest in Dutch history. His fourth cabinet collapsed in July 2023 due to a migration crisis and coalition disagreements. Rutte resigned and announced he would not run for a fifth term in the upcoming elections on November 22, 2023.

Throughout his tenure, Rutte remained popular and earned the nickname "Teflon Mark" for his ability to remain unaffected by crises.