Stoltenberg likely to remain NATO Secretary General for another year — Euractiv
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will most likely remain in his position for another year, Euractiv writes with reference to four NATO diplomats.
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Stoltenberg's term has already been extended twice: once for a second full mandate and a second time in March 2022, immediately after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The publication notes that none of the potential candidates, such as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace or Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez , seems to have been able to secure the support of the 31 NATO members so far.
NATO diplomats emphasized Stoltenberg's "proven ability" to lead the military alliance in crisis situations.
"It is not safe to change the captain during a storm," a high-ranking NATO official told Euractiv.
Extending Stoltenberg's term would give the alliance more time to focus on short-term and long-term support for Ukraine, rather than getting bogged down in personal debates, NATO diplomats said.
The three diplomats noted that if the Ukrainian counteroffensive had started earlier, the war could have already reached a turning point and given Kyiv an advantage by the time of the NATO summit in Vilnius in mid-July. That would have left plenty of time to open the door for a new NATO boss, but the delay in the calendar has forced NATO allies to rethink their strategy, diplomats stated.
In 2014, Jens Stoltenberg became the Secretary General of NATO. Stoltenberg's term of office was extended in 2019 and 2022.
In February 2023, it was reported that NATO believes that Stoltenberg's mandate should be extended again, but he himself does not want this and intends to leave his post, as planned, in October 2023.
On June 16, Stoltenberg once again emphasized that he does not want to remain the Secretary General of NATO after the end of his term of office. At the same time, according to the media, Biden allegedly personally persuaded Stoltenberg to remain the Secretary General of the Alliance.