Jens Stoltenberg, who was due to vacate his post in September, tweeted that he will lead the military bloc until October 1, 2024
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has confirmed that his term, which was due to finish at the end of September, has now been extended until next fall. Earlier, several media outlets reported that member states were likely to support the prolongation of the official’s tenure.
Stoltenberg tweeted on Tuesday that he was “honoured by #NATO Allies’ decision to extend my term as Secretary General until 1 October 2024.” He went on to praise the military bloc’s role in preserving “our freedom & security for nearly 75 years.”
The secretary added that, “in a more dangerous world, our Alliance is more important than ever.”
Stoltenberg was appointed to lead NATO in March 2014. His term has already been extended three times, with his latest announcement marking the fourth such prolongation.
On Monday, Reuters reported, citing four anonymous diplomats, that NATO member states would likely formally approve the decision.
In February, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu claimed that “the secretary general’s term comes to an end in October of this year and he has no intention to seek another extension of his mandate.”
She emphasized that the former Norwegian prime minister had served “for a total of almost nine years” as the head of the military bloc. The spokesperson’s comment came shortly after Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper claimed that NATO member states wanted to extend Stoltenberg’s term again so as to preserve the bloc’s stability amid its confrontation with Russia over Ukraine.
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