Mark Rutte took office as the new NATO chief on Tuesday, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg, who has led the Atlantic Alliance for 10 years, outlining his priorities after officially taking over as secretary general. "It is a great honour to be here and to take up the position of NATO Secretary General," Rutte said before thanking allies for entrusting him with the responsibility of guiding the Alliance in the coming years, urging them to "significantly increase defense spending" in order to meet NATO's challenges. The new Secretary General outlined his three priorities for the Alliance, which are to "keep NATO strong and ensure our defences remain effective and credible against all threats, while supporting for Ukraine and strengthening NATO's partnerships," in a more interconnected world are also among his goals. Paying tribute to his predecessor by describing his tenure as "exemplary" saying that his leadership helped contribute to a "bigger and stronger" NATO, while Stoltenberg praised his successor's pragma tism and consensus-building skills, in addition to his "personal commitment to our transatlantic bond" and unwavering support for Ukraine. Rutte served as Dutch Prime Minister for 14 years before being appointed by NATO as its new boss. Source: Kuwait News Agency