Who will take over the post of NATO Secretary General from Jens Stoltenberg?

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, “Deutsch In an article, Walle discussed the issue of the succession of Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO, and the behind-the-scenes competition over this issue and wrote: One of the most popular guessing games in Brussels must be resolved soon: Who will be the Secretary General of NATO? Was? The competition for this position is held behind closed doors and according to unwritten rules.

When Jens Stoltenberg steps down soon, it will be almost a decade. who is in charge of this position. During this time, he was asked to continue his work four times, even once after he had accepted a responsibility as the head of the central bank of Norway. It is not that no one wanted to replace Stoltenberg during the period, including the severance of relations with Russia and the deep tensions between the two sides of the Atlantic with the former president of the United States, Donald Trump. Stoltenberg even earned the nickname “Trump’s Whisperer” for his ability to tame aggressive Republicans. But that responsibility is likely to change on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the military alliance in July in Washington, with Stoltenberg’s term officially ending on October 1, 2024.

Ovana Longescu, Stoltenberg’s former spokesman, has supported early elections to avoid deviations and complications. He emphasized that it is really important that these elections be held early enough so as not to conflict with the European elections (in June 2024) or with the US election campaign.

This article continues: Certainly, the process of this selection is difficult and not so simple. Sure, NATO Secretary General is one of the most prestigious jobs in the world, but there’s no job description, no list of required qualifications, and certainly no application process. Anyone who wants this job will certainly not be invited to an interview and should not be too sure that they will get it. , but each of the 31 NATO members can play a minor role in this regard.

According to Ian Lesser, the vice president of the German Marshall Fund think tank in Brussels, the new NATO Secretary General should accept Russia – but not so strongly that there is a fear of escalation – and be ready to defend the existence of the alliance without further provoking critics.

In the many years in Stoltenberg’s replacement was discussed, several other potential points were requested and raised, including that the candidate for this position should come from a country with a significant defense budget, or from an ally from the south or east, or from the Scandinavian countries, and of course, A woman at the helm isn’t bad either.

Many names have already entered the game – and disappeared again. Former favorites such as Matt Fredriksen, the prime minister of Denmark, and Ben Wallace, the former British defense secretary, are said to have even spoken to US President Joe Biden about their chances for the job, but without further explanation. Most withdrew from the race.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kalas, Latvian Foreign Minister Kristianis Karins, and Prime Minister Mark Rutte Resigned Holland, are now openly looking for the job. Rote is a more popular option. He is the longest-serving prime minister of a NATO member since Viktor Orban, and is a “safer” choice than other politicians from the Baltic states for the post as long as Moscow’s war against Ukraine dominates the alliance’s agenda. Callas is equally popular, although there is a risk of polarization on his part, and Carins, despite being a former prime minister, does not receive much support.

” Christy Rijk “, the deputy of the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn, Estonia, says about this: There is a feeling that a person from the Baltic countries at the head of NATO will act in a way that is more unproductive than useful.

In any case, it is interesting that Rutte is the only candidate that NATO ambassadors have already talked about.

But also Kalas He does not pretend that he does not understand things. At an event in the United States in November, he spoke publicly about the apparent values ​​of a NATO secretary general and joked a bit.

He added: “He should Coming from a country that spends two percent of its GDP on defense, it would be nice if it was a woman. While recalling this issue, he then jokingly said: “So it makes sense that it is Mark Rutte.” The audience laughed and Kalas’ frustration was palpable.

In the meantime, Kalas may refer to his defense budget, but Rutte has a special feature, and that is could bring a “real Trump” into play: When Rutte and Trump met at the White House in 2019, they were seen joking and patting each other on the back. We have also become friends.

DW continued this article: Although most clearly want to agree on Rutte, this Dutch candidate may face defeat Face Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has clashed with him several times in recent years and has already expressed his opposition to Rutte as NATO Secretary General.

However, observers do not rule out the possibility that a candidate with more informal criteria will emerge at the last minute.

Only one One thing seems certain: Stoltenberg will lose the race to become NATO’s longest-serving secretary-general, as Dutchman Joseph Loens held the post for 13 years, from 1971 to 1984.

Recently, citing some evidence and statements of Western officials, a German newspaper announced the high chance of Mark Rutte, the resigned Prime Minister of the Netherlands, to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO. /p>

Ruthe’s government fell on July 7 this year in a dispute over a family of war refugees. A few days later he announced his retirement from Dutch politics. However, Rutte will remain in office until a new government is formed.

According to information from the newspaper De Volte, the 56-year-old man twice in the past few weeks He met Stoltenberg for dinner and discussed his future with him. It is said in NATO circles: he is very interested in this position.

end of message /