NATO refrained from looking for a new secretary general during the Ukraine war. The Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg has already shown sensitivity in other turbulent times.
Jens Stoltenberg remains Secretary General of NATO for another year because of the Russian war against Ukraine. The alliance states decided at the summit meeting to extend the Norwegian’s mandate until September 30, 2023, the defense alliance announced in Brussels.
Stoltenberg has been NATO Secretary General since 2014, and his term was supposed to end on September 30. After that, the former Norwegian head of government originally wanted to go back to his homeland and become head of the central bank there. The 63-year-old applied for this post at the end of last year. At the beginning of February he was officially awarded the contract.
Stoltenberg described himself as “honoured” by the decision of the heads of state and government to extend the contract. He also rated them as a sign of unity in the “biggest security crisis of a generation”.
Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) said that Stoltenberg “with his level-headed and clever leadership is a guarantee for the success and unity of the alliance”. She is very pleased that he will remain with NATO in these difficult times.
Stoltenberg is considered a skillful mediator
Stoltenberg has gained recognition above all as a skilled mediator between the sometimes very different interests of the now 30 NATO countries. He is particularly credited with moderating the dispute over defense spending by the European allies, which escalated during the tenure of US President Donald Trump. Trump even threatened at times that the United States would leave the alliance.
At almost eight years old, Stoltenberg is already one of the longest-serving Secretary Generals in the history of the alliance. He even overtook the German Manfred Wörner. The ex-defense minister from the CDU was the highest international official in the alliance from 1988 until his death in 1994. The Dutchman Joseph Luns has been NATO Secretary General for the longest time. He served from 1971 to 1984.
It was initially unclear whether Stoltenberg was asked by heads of state and government to consider extending the contract in view of the Ukraine war, or whether he tried to do so himself in view of the situation. Rumors of whereabouts had recently increased again against the background of the Ukraine war and the serious tensions with Russia.
After Stoltenberg’s failure, Ida Wolden Bache is to become the head of the Norwegian central bank. She is currently already acting as interim head of the bank.
Source: Stern
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