NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has confirmed that he will remain in office for another year, until October 1, 2024. The final decision was made on July 4, according to the website of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“I am proud of the NATO Allies' decision to extend my term as Secretary General. The transatlantic link between Europe and North America has provided our freedom and security for nearly 75 years, and in a more dangerous world, our grand alliance has become more important than ever,” Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg's term as NATO Secretary General has already been extended three times and expires this fall. In February 2023, NATO claimed that he did not intend to seek a new extension of the mandate. Reuters reported in March that Stoltenberg himself offered to remain in office as he faced "the biggest security crisis in recent memory" over the war in Ukraine.
Jens Stoltenberg, 64, has been NATO Secretary General since October 2014. Then he replaced Anders Fogh Rasmussen. In 2018, Stoltenberg was re-elected for another four years. He became the first Norwegian to hold this position. According to Reuters , NATO members asked Stoltenberg to remain in office after they could not agree on a candidate. The media speculated that former British Prime Minister Theresa May, former head of Eurodiplomacy Federica Mogherini, former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, or former Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid could replace Stoltenberg as Secretary General of the alliance.