NATO countries have extended the mandate of the current secretary general of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, for another year, until October 1, 2024.
“I am honored to accept the decision of NATO allies to extend my term as secretary general until October 1, 2024”, Stoltenberg tweeted.
He stressed that “the transatlantic link between Europe and North America has ensured our freedom and security for nearly 75 years”. In today’s “more dangerous world”, he said, the North Atlantic Alliance is more important than ever.
Stoltenberg was appointed NATO secretary general in 2014. His term expired in 2018, but was extended twice for two years. Before serving as secretary general, Stoltenberg served at various times as Norway’s prime minister and minister of finance, trade and industry.
After the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the NATO member states decided not to change the leader of the bloc and prolonged the mandate of Stoltenberg for another year. At the same time, he himself expected to become head of the Norwegian Central Bank.
On June 19, 2023, Stoltenberg said that he expected to complete his term as head of the alliance only until the fall. “I have no plans to extend my mandate. My personal plans are to serve until the fall, I have no other plans”, he told a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Afterwards, all NATO member states supported an appeal to Stoltenberg to continue at the helm of the alliance.
