Nato set to make Dutch PM Mark Rutte newsecretary general | BBC News

Mark Rutte, who has been the Netherlands' PrimeMinister since 2010, is set to take over as as Nato's secretary general in October.

The current head, Jens Stoltenberg, will be steppingdown on 1 October after holding the position for nearly a decade.

Rutte's support for Ukraine helped win him the favourof key Nato countries including the UK and the US.

On Thursday, his only opponent - Romanian PresidentKlaus lohannis - pulled out of the race.

Rutte is expected to be confirmed as Nato's nextsecretary general over the next few days.