Stoltenberg will remain as NATO Secretary General for another hour

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will remain in this post for another hour, Politico reports citing sources.

The official representative of the USA stated that the extension of Stoltenberg’s powers as Secretary General is already a “settled matter”. A high-ranking diplomat from Western Europe confirmed this information and said that the decision “will be officially formalized next week.”

A high-ranking diplomat from Eastern Europe and a NATO official also confirmed the existence of a consensus in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on the extension of Stoltenberg’s powers.

As the publication writes, NATO member countries wanted to make a decision about who will hold the post of Secretary General before the major summit of the North Atlantic Alliance, which will be held on July 11-12 in Vilnius. It is noted that the Allies spent several months to make this decision – Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen and British Defense Minister Ben Wallace were considered as possible successors.

This decision was influenced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, writes Politico. A number of countries preferred to support an experienced politician, known for his cautious rhetoric, at a politically difficult time for NATO.

• Jens Stoltenberg is a Norwegian statesman and politician, former Prime Minister of Norway. He has headed NATO since 2014. Stoltenberg’s candidacy for the post of general secretary was proposed by the then Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel.