Jens Stoltenberg will resign from his position as NATO Secretary General in the fall. The search for a successor is now moving.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz supports a possible nomination of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the new NATO Secretary General.
Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit announced this on X, formerly Twitter. With his “immense experience, his great security policy expertise and his strong diplomatic skills,” he is “an outstanding candidate,” wrote Hebestreit. Further support also came from the USA and Great Britain.
Acting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will step down from office in the fall. The next NATO summit will take place in Washington in July. A decision on the new personnel at the top of the defense alliance is expected in the spring. To be appointed NATO secretary general, Rutte needs the approval of all 31 members of the alliance.
Support also from the USA and Great Britain
Rutte can look forward to other prominent supporters. It has also become known from US government circles that US President Joe Biden has spoken out in favor of the 57-year-old as Stoltenberg’s successor. Biden strongly supports Rutte’s candidacy, a US government representative said at the request of the German Press Agency in Brussels. Rutte has “a deep understanding of the importance of the alliance.”
US National Security Council communications director John Kirby did not officially confirm this, but said in Washington that the United States had made it clear to its allies that Rutte would be “an excellent secretary general for NATO.”
There were also words of praise for the Dutchman from Great Britain. “The United Kingdom strongly supports Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte succeeding Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General,” the British news agency PA quoted a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as saying. Rutte enjoys a high reputation in the alliance.
Stoltenberg will step down from office in the fall
Last year, the Norwegian Stoltenberg’s contract was extended by one year until October 1, 2024. Previous attempts by member states to agree on another candidate had failed. Stoltenberg had stated several times in previous months that he was not actually seeking another term in office. According to those close to him, however, he continued out of a “sense of duty” and in view of the many tasks due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The right-wing liberal Rutte has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands for more than 13 years. After a coalition dispute over refugee policy, he and his cabinet resigned in the summer. Rutte then announced that he wanted to withdraw from Dutch politics. However, he will remain in office until a new government is formed. The right-wing populist Geert Wilders won the parliamentary elections and now has to form a coalition government.
Recently, Rutte was no longer considered unchallenged. For example, supporters of his People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) accused him of abandoning his party’s staunchly right-wing course. For a long time, many Dutch people saw Rutte as a good crisis manager, someone who held the business together. Dutch defense spending never reached the 2 percent of GDP target under Rutte, but has steadily increased from 1.15 percent of GDP in 2014 to 1.7 percent in 2023, according to NATO data.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
