NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg plans to step down in October, not keen for fourth term: Spokesperson
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
Long-serving North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)chief Jens Stoltenberg does not intend to seek a fourth term renewal and expects to be replaced in October, according to a statement released by the military alliance on Sunday (February 12)."The mandate of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has been extended three times and he has served for a total of almost nine years," spokespersonOana Lungescu said.
"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 added.
On October 1, 2014, the 63-year-old former Norwegian prime minister assumed his position at NATO's headquarters in Brussels. Since then, he has steered the Western alliance through various international crises.
In August 2021, just before Kabul fell to theTaliban forces, who restored their Islamist authority, the remaining NATO and US soldiers departed Afghanistan under his administration.
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Additionally, Stoltenberg handled NATO's reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the ongoing conflict, which is the longest on European territory since the 1940s.
In particular, he served as a link between the European allies and Washington during the administration of former US president Donald Trump, a staunch critic of NATO.
Stoltenberg's term may be renewed until a meeting to celebrate the alliance's 75th anniversary next year, according to diplomats from several NATO allies.
(With inputs from agencies)
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