BERLIN -(Reuters) – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s tenure will be extended again, Welt am Sonntag said on Sunday, citing anonymous diplomatic sources, as the alliance strives to preserve stability throughout the Ukraine conflict.
Members will extend Stoltenberg’s tenure until April 2024 in recognition of his “excellent accomplishments” and to ensure the military alliance’s stability throughout the continuing conflict in Ukraine, according to the newspaper.
According to the publication, there is a tacit consensus among the 30 member states that Stoltenberg should stay in office beyond the end of his term on September 30, with a formal decision expected in the following weeks.
According to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, he has no plans to seek another extension of his term.
Stoltenberg, a trained economist and former head of Norway’s Labour Party, had his first NATO mandate extended last year.
He served as Prime Minister of Norway from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2013, before becoming NATO Secretary General the following year. He has also served as finance and energy minister.
Welt said that alliance members want Stoltenberg to preside over the organization’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington in April 2024. He would also be in line to succeed David Malpass as President of the World Bank when he steps down around the same time, according to the report.
There has been no decision on who would follow Stoltenberg, but Welt reports that Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Britain’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace are among the main possibilities.