TEHRAN, Jun. 26 (MNA) – NATO tapped outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte Wednesday to become the bloc’s next secretary-general who will replace Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg from October 1.

NATO appointed Mark Rutte as its next secretary-general on Wednesday.

Rutte’s appointment was sealed by NATO ambassadors during a meeting at the 32-nation alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, France 24 reported.

US President Joe Biden and his counterparts will formally welcome him to their table at a summit in Washington on July 9-11.

The outgoing Dutch premier will take over from the current secretary general, Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg, on Oct. 1.

Stoltenberg spent more than a decade at the helm.

MP/PR