BRUSSELS: Nato’s 32 nations on Wednesday appointed outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the alliance’s next chief, handing him the job at a crucial moment with Russia on the march in Ukraine and US elections looming.

Rutte will take over from Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Oct 1 after major powers — spearheaded by the United States — agreed on his nomination ahead of a summit of Nato leaders in Washington next month.

“Mark is a true transatlanticist, a strong leader and a consensus-builder,” Stoltenberg said on social media after Nato ambassadors approved the appointment. “I know I am leaving Nato in good hands,” he said. Rutte said it was a “tremendous honour” to take over from Stoltenberg once his decade at the helm of Nato ends.

“The alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security. Leading this organisation is a responsibility I do not take lightly,” he posted online.

The seasoned Dutch leader, whose 14-year tenure leading the Netherlands is set to end within weeks, is seen as a safe pair of hands capable of stewarding Nato through perilous times.

His appointment was welcomed by leaders across the 75-year-old alliance, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who called it “a good choice for freedom and security”.

The White House said US President Joe Biden believed Rutte “will make an excellent secretary general”. While the 57-year-old faces the possibility of a possible return by former US president Donald Trump to the White House, who has long criticised the alliance, Rutte will also have to grapple with the threat posed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2024