2023-06-29 20:48:00
29.06.2023 22:48
(Akt. 29.06.2023 22:48)
Stoltenberg has been in office for nine years ©APA/AFP
According to diplomats, the 31 NATO countries have agreed on an extended term for Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The Norwegian is to hold the post for another year, i.e. until September 2024, as the AFP news agency learned on Thursday from representatives of several member states in Brussels. The decision will be officially announced next week.
This means that Stoltenberg is likely to still be Secretary General at the NATO anniversary summit in Washington in July 2024, at which the transatlantic military alliance will celebrate its 75th anniversary. The 64-year-old Norwegian has been General Secretary for almost nine years.
The US government recently attested to Stoltenberg’s “impressive leadership” in his stance on the Russian war of aggression once morest Ukraine. On Thursday, Stoltenberg discussed further aid for the country with the EU heads of state and government.
The US ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, did not want to confirm the personnel decision for the time being. “In the coming days” a statement is planned, she said in Brussels.
The extension of Stoltenberg’s term of office had already become apparent. The main reason is that the European NATO countries cannot agree on a successor to Stoltenberg. The Secretary General usually comes from Europe, while the US provides the Commander-in-Chief of the alliance.
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