Difficult search for Stoltenberg’s replacement at NATO
| A German media considered it difficult to search for this position due to the possibility of Donald Trump taking office in the United States and the condition that all coalition members agree to choose a replacement for Jens Stoltenberg and investigated this issue. |
A popular guessing game in Brussels has been running for years. Is. Its name is: Who will be the Secretary General of NATO? Jens Stoltenberg, who will soon turn 65, has long wanted to step down. Last year there was a wide range of qualified successor candidates, especially female candidates for the position.
But in the end, the Norwegian remained in office. A new and fifth extension of this responsibility seems impossible for Stoltenberg. Especially since he probably no longer wants to work with a president like Donald Trump in America and get along with him.
Especially because the NATO Secretary General has to mediate. He must be both a general and a secretary. He has to show the unity convincingly to the outside world and he has to get along with all the 31 leaders of the member states. Stoltenberg was an ideal choice for this position.
Last year, there was a desire for someone from Eastern Europe or a woman to take this position for the first time. But these two are no longer valid. Latvian Kristianis Karins, Lithuanian Ingrida Simonite, and most importantly, Estonian Kaja Kalas, who were initially highly rated and interested in the post, were eliminated for some reason.
All of them were too anti-Russian. were evaluated. If necessary, NATO should stand up to Russia. But under no circumstances does he want to provoke the Kremlin.
Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, in her turn, removed herself from the competition for the post of NATO Secretary General by running for a second term for this responsibility. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen suddenly disappeared from the table due to lack of reception in Washington. No one can really say why.
Currently Mark Rutte, the long-term prime minister of the Netherlands, is the clear favorite. Especially since he somewhat gets along with Donald Trump.
One thing is clear: Trump’s shadow is currently hanging over NATO. Not much can be said about Rutte, except that he will be the fourth Dutch NATO Secretary General, and Eastern Europeans, the frontline countries with Russia, still have to wait for him to take over the post.
About two-thirds, according to NATO circles, Member States are currently behind Rutte. But consensus is necessary. That is why the Hungarian Viktor Orbán can only throw sand here. He might prefer to have Vladimir Putin as NATO Secretary General!
However, this decision must be made soon, certainly before the European elections in June. Otherwise, the appointment of the NATO leadership will become part of the bargaining for the EU leadership positions.
Ruthe is now in the lead but there are still obstacles.
When Jens Stoltenberg He will soon step down from his position, it will be almost a decade since he held this position. During this period, 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.
| Publisher | Tasnim News |
