The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, has no intention of renewing his post again, in the face of German media reports that pointed to a possible extension given his track record at the head of the military alliance.
Sources in the Sunday edition of ‘Die Welt’ pointed out that NATO member countries intended to extend Stoltenberg’s mandate, which in principle ends on September 30 of this year, until April 2024, given his «extraordinary achievements» and to guarantee the stability of the institution during the war in Ukraine.
Also, the members of the alliance want to give Stoltenberg the opportunity to preside over the 75th anniversary summit of the organization in Washington, in April 2024, when he will be in a position, according to the media, to tackle what would be his next destination: the presidency of the World Bank, when the American David Malpass leaves his post, almost at the same time.
In response, the Secretary General’s spokeswoman, Oana Lungescu, confirmed to the DPA agency that Stoltenberg will not extend his term of office, even if the 30 NATO member states reach «an informal agreement», as Die Welt explains, on the matter.
«Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s term of office has been extended three times and he has served for a total of almost nine years,» the spokeswoman told the aforementioned agency on Saturday. «It ends in October this year and he does not intend to apply for another extension of his term,» she added.
NATO allies agreed to extend Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s term for another year on March 24, 2022, shortly after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
