Amsterdam, 1 July 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Mark Rutte, the outgoing prime minister of the Netherlands and future Secretary General of NATO, called for continued support for Ukraine in his farewell speech to Dutch lawmakers on Sunday.

Rutte said that the shooting down of the passenger flight MH17 by a Russian missile over eastern Ukraine in the summer of 2014 made him realize how "crucial it is that our country is embedded in the EU and NATO."

Most of the 298 people killed on board the flight, which was headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, were Dutch citizens.

Rutte was officially appointed the next Secretary General of NATO a few days ago. The 57-year-old will succeed Jens Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, as leader of the defence alliance at the beginning of October.

Rutte said that a glance at the world map alone makes it clear that "we are stronger together than alone."

The ongoing war in Europe should motivate citizens in the Netherlands to continue to support Ukraine in the future - "for peace there and security here," he said.

Rutte is regarded as a very experienced politician, particularly in matters of foreign affairs.

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, a former head of the Netherlands' intelligence and anti-terrorism agencies, is not affiliated with any party. He is to 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 the right-wing populist Geert Wilders, who will however not hold a post in the government himself.

MIA file photo