Mark Rutte, the outgoing prime minister of the Netherlands and future secretary general of NATO, called for continued support for Ukraine in his farewell address to Dutch lawmakers on Sunday.
Rutte said the shooting down of passenger flight MH17 by a Russian missile over eastern Ukraine in the summer of 2014 made him realize how “crucial it is for our country to be integrated into the EU and NATO.”
Most of the 298 people killed on board the flight, which was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, were Dutch citizens.
Rutte was officially named NATO’s next Secretary General a few days ago. The 57-year-old will succeed Jens Stoltenberga former Norwegian prime minister, as leader of the defense alliance in early October.
Rutte said that just one look at the world map makes it clear that “we are stronger together than alone.”
The ongoing war in Europe should motivate citizens of the Netherlands to continue supporting Ukraine in the future – “for peace there and security here”, he said.
Rutte is considered a very experienced politician, especially on foreign affairs issues.
The liberal-conservative politician led the government in the Netherlands for almost 14 years, longer than anyone before him.
Rutte on Sunday wished his successor Dick Schoof “every success”.
Schoof, the former head of the Netherlands’ intelligence and anti-terrorism agencies, is not affiliated with any party. He will be sworn in on Tuesday as head of a coalition government that will be the most far-right in the country’s history.
The four-party coalition is largely controlled by right-wing populist Geert Wilders, who, however, will not hold a government position himself.
