Senior Kurdish leaders on Tuesday congratulated former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has officially been appointed as the new secretary-general of NATO after a handover ceremony in Brussels.
“Deeply honored to succeed @jensstoltenberg as Secretary General of #NATO – the most successful political-military Alliance in history,” Rutte posted on X.
Deeply honoured to succeed @jensstoltenberg as Secretary General of #NATO – the most successful political-military Alliance in history.
— Mark Rutte (@SecGenNATO) October 1, 2024
I thank the 32 Allies for their confidence and I am excited to get started. pic.twitter.com/bCZX7KxEYs
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani wrote on X that he had sent his “sincere congratulations to my friend Mark Rutte on your appointment as @SecGenNATO. I look forward to our cooperation on issues of mutual interest.”
Moreover, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on X sent his “heartfelt congratulations to Mark Rutte on his appointment as Secretary General of NATO. Wishing him great success in this important role, and I look forward to our continued cooperation.”
Prime Minister Barzani met with Rutte multiple times during his tenure, including on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2023.
Sincere congratulations to my friend Mark Rutte on your appointment as @SecGenNATO. I look forward to our cooperation on issues of mutual interest -mb.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) October 1, 2024
The current NATO mission in Iraq is commanded by Dutch Lieutenant General Lucas Schreurs, who assumed command on May 24, 2024.
The Dutch government also deployed approximately 145 military personnel for a period of at least one year, from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 to the NATO mission. There are no NATO troops in the Kurdistan Region.
