The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has congratulated Mark Rutte on his new position as the Secretary General of NATO. On the Prime Minister’s profile on the social media platform X, Frederiksen expressed her confidence that NATO will remain the world’s strongest military alliance under Rutte’s leadership. “I look forward to continuing our close cooperation,” stated Frederiksen.
Frederiksen has previously been mentioned as a potential candidate for the position of Secretary General of NATO, but she has consistently denied being considered. The position now goes to Mark Rutte, the outgoing Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
On the social media platform X, Rutte expressed his gratitude for the trust shown to him by the allied countries. “It is a great honor to be appointed as the Secretary General of NATO,” wrote Mark Rutte.
Initially, there was not consensus among NATO countries. Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia hesitated to support Rutte as the new leader of the defense alliance until last week. However, on Wednesday, NATO officially announced that Rutte, as the only candidate for the past week, will take on the position.
Jens Stoltenberg, who has served as the Secretary General of NATO for ten years, also extended his congratulations on X. “I wish him all the best as we continue to strengthen NATO,” wrote Jens Stoltenberg.
Mark Rutte will take over the role of Secretary General from Stoltenberg on October 1st. Before Stoltenberg, the Danish Anders Fogh Rasmussen held the position.