Rutte begins his term as NATO Secretary General
On October 1, Mark Rutte officially becomes the new Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Reuters.
On this day, a ceremony is to be held in Brussels, during which Jens Stoltenberg, who has been the head of NATO for the past ten years, will hand over to the former Dutch prime minister.
"The member states of the bloc expect the new secretary general to generally maintain the course of his predecessor, which includes three priority areas: helping Ukraine counter Russian aggression, increasing NATO funding for the defense sector, and the United States' active involvement in ensuring security in Europe," the article says.
Rutte is an ardent supporter of Ukraine and has been praised for his ability to successfully negotiate with various coalition partners over the years.
What is known about Mark Rutte?
Rutte was born on February 14, 1967, into a Protestant family in The Hague. Rutte studied history at Leiden University, graduating in 1992.
He began his political career as a student, serving as chairman of the Youth Organization for Freedom and Democracy, the youth wing of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, from 1988 to 1991. After graduating from the university, he worked for ten years as a human resources manager at the food company Unilever.
In 2002, Rutte became State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment in the first government of Jan Peter Balkenende. From 2004 to 2006, he was appointed State Secretary for Higher Education and Research, Education, Culture and Science. In 2006, Rutte became the leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and held this position until 2023.
On October 14, 2010, Rutte became the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. He became the first politician to be elected to this position from the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. Thus, Rutte led the government for 13 years, the longest in the country's history. In February 2023, he announced his decision to resign after the formation of a new government following the parliamentary elections.
