In the headquarters of NATO in Brussels, the official ceremony of the transfer of powers of the Secretary General of NATO from Jens Stoltenberg Mark Rutte.
During his speech, Rutte thanked all the allies for the confidence and noted the contribution of Stoltenberg to strengthen the alliance.
“You were an exemplary general secretary. Today, NATO is larger, stronger and more united, and this is largely due to your leadership. On the one hand, you raised the bar for your successor, but on the other hand you gave me a strong and strong alliance.” – said Rutte, addressing Stoltenberg.
Rutte emphasized that he intends to prepare NATO for future challenges. Among his priorities, he called the maintenance of the Alliance’s strength to ensure that the collective defense remains effective and reliable in the face of all threats, increasing defense and investment costs, as well as strengthening Ukraine’s support and its approach to NATO members.
He also noted the importance of cooperation with partners sharing common values in regions such as the Asia-Pacific region, and above all with the European Union.
Rutte emphasized that Ukraine should become a member of NATO. “Without strong and independent Ukraine, it is impossible to ensure long -term security in Europe,” he added.
He called the European Union a “unique and important partner” by NATO and emphasized the need for further development of cooperation.
transfer of powers
In turn, Stoltenberg recalled that Rutte headed four coalition governments in the Netherlands.
“You showed that you can seek a compromise, which is very valuable in NATO. At the same time, you have proved that you will not come up with our main values and principles,” he added.
Then Stoltenberg transferred his powers to Rutte.
After farewell to the Stoltenberg staff, he left NATO headquarters for prolonged applause.