Mark Rutte Takes Office as New NATO Secretary General

On 1 October 2024, Mark Rutte took office as the NATO Secretary General. He was welcomed to NATO Headquarters in Brussels by the outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, whose term ends after ten years.

"It is a great honour to be here and to take up the position of NATO Secretary General", Rutte said before thanking Allies for entrusting him with the responsibility of guiding the Alliance in the coming years.

Secretary General Rutte outlined his three priorities for the Alliance.

"The first is to keep NATO strong and ensure our defences remain effective and credible, against all threats. My second priority is to step up our support for Ukraine and bring it ever closer to NATO, because there can be no lasting security in Europe without a strong, independent Ukraine. My third priority is to strengthen our partnerships in a more interconnected world, the new Secratary General said.

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