NATO to extend again term of office of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Photo:REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo)
NATO member countries intend to extend again the term of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg until next spring, as the alliance seeks to maintain stability during the war in Ukraine, German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported on Feb. 12, citing unidentified diplomatic sources.
However, Stoltenberg himself wants to leave his post in the fall of 2023.
Stoltenberg was supposed to resign from his post in September. However, according to the publication, NATO member countries have agreed on a new regulation.
NATO members will extend Stoltenberg’s term until April 2024 due to his “outstanding achievements” and to guarantee the military alliance’s stability during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
There is an informal agreement among the 30 member states that Stoltenberg should remain in position beyond the end of his term on Sept. 30, the newspaper said, adding that a formal decision would be made in the coming weeks.
However, the NATO spokesperson, Oana Lungescu, said that “(Stoltenberg) has no intention of seeking a further extension of his presidency.”
Stoltenberg’s mandate has already been extended three times, and he has been in office for almost nine years.
The extension of his term will also allow him to chair the organization’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington in April 2024, the publication noted.
Stoltenberg could potentially become president of the World Bank when David Malpass steps down around the same time.
No decision has yet been made on who will replace Stoltenberg after his term expires, but Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace are among the leading candidates for the job.
Earlier, U.S. news website Politico reported that NATO may extend the mandate of the Secretary General of the alliance for another year.
In March 2022, NATO leaders agreed to extend Jens Stoltenberg’s mandate. He will remain in his position until Sept. 30, 2023.
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