After ten years leading the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Jens Stoltenberg stepped down from the Secretary-General position today (1), handing over the control of the defense alliance to former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, at a moment when NATO confronts some of the biggest challenges in its history.
Stoltenberg and Rutte have known each other for 14 years, since when they were the leaders of Norway and the Netherlands.
They ‘greeted each other warmly’ outside NATO’s Brussels headquarters and laid a wreath to the fallen military personnel, surrounded by the flags of the 32 member countries.
ABC News reported:
“’Mark has the perfect background to become a great secretary general’, a visibly emotional Stoltenberg said as he ended a decade in office.
‘He has served as prime minister for 14 years and led four different coalition governments, so therefore he knows how to make compromises, create consensus, and these are skills which are very much valued here at NATO’, Stoltenberg said. Rutte said that he ‘cannot wait to get to work’.”
In the great hall where North Atlantic Council meetings are held, Stoltenberg presented him with a Viking gavel to use when chairing meetings.
“Rutte said his priorities would be NATO’s support for Ukraine, with the war now in its third year, increasing defense spending and strengthening partnerships that the alliance has established with other countries around the world, notably in Asia and the Middle East.”
Rutte stressed the importance of keeping the trans-Atlantic alliance between the United States, Canada, and Europe strong.
He reaffirmed that he can work well with whoever is elected to the White House.
“But Rutte said: ‘I know both candidates very well’. He praised Trump for pushing NATO allies to spend more and for toughening their approach toward China. He also hailed the ‘fantastic record’ of Vice President Kamala Harris and described her as ‘a highly respected leader. I will be able to work with both. Whatever is the outcome of the election’, Rutte said.”
Rutte takes office as the war in Ukraine approaches the 1,000-day mark with Russia making sweeping gains in the Donbas.
“’There can be no lasting security in Europe without a strong, independent Ukraine’, he said in his first speech on taking office, and he affirmed a commitment made by the organization’s leaders in 2008 that ‘Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO’.”
NATO has swelled to 32 countries since the start of the war, as Finland and Sweden joined ‘to seek protection from Russia under NATO’s security umbrella.’
Meanwhile, in Russia, they do not expect any change of policy from new NATO chief Rutte.
Reuters reported:
“‘Our expectations are that the North Atlantic alliance will continue to work in the same direction in which it has been working’, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that President Vladimir Putin knew Rutte well from past meetings.
‘At one time, there were hopes for the possibility of building good pragmatic relations – at least, such a dialogue was conducted – but subsequently we know that the Netherlands took a rather irreconcilable position, a position on the complete exclusion of any contacts with our country’, he said.
‘Therefore, we do not think that anything significantly new will happen in the alliance’s policy’.”
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