The outgoing Dutch Prime Minister will head the military alliance for the coming years after Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg steps down
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is to be named the next Secretary General of NATO after the last remaining holdout Romania agreed to back his candidacy.
Rutte will govern over a tricky few years as the transatlantic alliance balances Russian aggression and potentially wavering US support.
His appointment was confirmed just ahead of a summit due to be held in Washington, DC on July 9-11, marking the alliance’s 75th anniversary.
Romanian Prime Minister Klaus Iohannis had also put himself forward to be Secretary General, the senior official that coordinates the Brussels-based organisation, but his government has now offered its support to Rutte, according to an official press release.