The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Jens Stoltenberg, in office since 2014, does not intend to extend his mandate, NATO said on Sunday.
In March 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the NATO summit decided to extend Stoltenberg’s term until September 30, 2023.
Stoltenberg was tipped at the time to take over the Central Bank of Norway, but he resigned.
“Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s term of office has been extended three times and he has served a total of nearly nine years,” spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said.
“The Secretary-General’s term of office expires in October this year and he does not intend to apply for another extension of his term,” the spokeswoman said.
The 63-year-old former Prime Minister of Norway took office on October 1, 2014 and has led the Alliance through several international crises.
During his tenure, the last NATO personnel and US forces left Afghanistan in August 2021, near Taliban-held Kabul.
Stoltenberg also oversaw NATO’s response to Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and its ongoing war, the most vicious on European soil since the 1940s.
He has been a respected Secretary General and, in particular, a bridge between European allies and Washington under former US President Donald Trump, a frequent critic of NATO.
Diplomats from several NATO allies have speculated that Stoltenberg’s mandate could be extended once again until a summit next year to mark the alliance’s 75th anniversary. But after a visit to Washington last week, his office announced it had no intention of continuing in office.
Source: DN
