NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will remain in office for an additional year. Two NATO sources said that the extension until September next year would be announced at the NATO summit. NATO countries believe that a military alliance can use a well-trained man in the midst of a heated conflict with Russia.
Stoltenberg, 63, was due to retire from the post of NATO Secretary General at the end of September. Then the former Norwegian prime minister becomes head of his homeland’s central bank. Today, however, he has already hinted that he is open to a longer stay at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
An insider says the obvious successor has yet to present itself. Some of the frequently mentioned candidates are not available. Candidates from the Baltic states, for example, are very sensitive at the moment. So the ambassadors of the 30 NATO countries agreed to invite Stoltenberg for a longer period. Logic says, “You don’t change a captain in a storm.”
Norway has already taken into account that it will take longer for Stoltenberg to return. “We don’t know how long it may take a year or two,” Norway’s Finance Ministry told Reuters news agency. Stoltenberg is already the longest-serving Secretary General of the Western Alliance in nearly eight years.
Unlimited free access to Showbytes? And that can!
Sign in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.
“Creator. Award-winning problem solver. Music evangelist. Incurable introvert.”
More Stories
These bike repair shops don't fix big bikes: 'Don't ring the bell on them yet'
Elections in the world's largest democracy: Can Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi begin his third term?
The Spanish Meteorological Service warned of the danger of forest fires in several areas