Acting Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte has been confirmed as NATO Secretary General. The tenure of the current head of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, expires on October 1.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili congratulated Mark Rutte. “In these critical and turbulent times, your role will be vital to preserving democracy and freedom, and to restoring lasting peace. We hope that your leadership will be one of great achievements and will allow us to forge new and closer ties for those of us who look forward to expanding the alliance,” she wrote on social media.

Press Secretary of the Russian President Peskov said that with Rutte’s arrival as NATO Secretary General, “it’s unlikely that anything will change - this is an enemy alliance for Russia.”

The day before, all 32 NATO member countries supported the candidacy of the Dutch politician. Another contender for the post was Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, but he announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy.

Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who has headed the North Atlantic Alliance for almost nine years, will leave the post of Secretary General of this military-political bloc, which unites most European countries, Turkey, the USA and Canada.

Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who has headed the North Atlantic Alliance for almost nine years, will leave the post of Secretary General of this military-political bloc, which unites most European countries, Turkey, the United States and Canada, in October this year.