Mark Rutte (Photo: Oliver Hoslet)

When asked if he is the last NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte said he had no plans to leave office in the near future. He said this at the Global Europe forum organized by the Renew parliamentary group, reports LIGA.net in Brussels.

Rutte added that he is confident that he will "have a successor someday."

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"But I am quite enjoying my role and my work. And it's really important, and there is a lot of support – not for me personally, that's not important, but for the collective effort as NATO," Rutte said.

The Secretary General mentioned Romania, noting that he grew up in a time when it seemed that communist regimes in Europe were unchangeable. He called Romania's accession to the EU and NATO one of the greatest events in history.

Rutte said that NATO is strong today, and after the decisions taken at the Hague Summit, the Alliance has become even stronger. According to him, member states agreed to spend on defense as much as necessary for their own defense, based on a joint assessment of defense needs.

He also emphasized that this allows us to equalize defense spending with the level of the United States.

REFERENCE
Mark Rutte has served as NATO Secretary General since October 1, 2024. Prior to that, he served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands for 14 years (2010-2024).
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