NATO Again Extends Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg Mandate For Another Year

 

Politico: Jens Stoltenberg to continue as NATO chief 

Current leadership will continue for another year. 

NATO allies have agreed to extend Jens Stoltenberg’s term as secretary-general by a year. 

“Honoured by NATO Allies’ decision to extend my term as Secretary General until 1 October 2024,” Stoltenberg tweeted. “The transatlantic bond between Europe & North America has ensured our freedom & security for nearly 75 years, and in a more dangerous world, our Alliance is more important than ever,” he added. 

The decision, ahead of a summit of NATO leaders in Vilnius next week, is seen as a reflection of how politically sensitive the current moment is for the alliance, as well as how difficult it is for allies to find a high-profile candidate who is both available and acceptable to all alliance members.  

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NATO Again Extends Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg Mandate For Another Year  

Stoltenberg to stay on as NATO chief until late 2024 amid war in Ukraine -- France 24  

NATO again extends Stoltenberg’s mandate, happy with a safe pair of hands as the war drags on -- AP  

Jens Stoltenberg to stay as Nato chief for another year -- BBC  

Stoltenberg to Lead NATO for Another Year -- VOA  

NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg to stay in office until Oct. 1, 2024, ‘in a more dangerous world' -- USA Today

NATO Members Agree To Extend Secretary-General Stoltenberg’s Tenure For Another Year

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg © REUTERS/Yves Herman 

Politico: Stoltenberg to stay on as NATO chief another year 

The move ‘will be formalized next week,’ a European diplomat said, ahead of the NATO summit in Lithuania. 

 Jens Stoltenberg is set to stay on as NATO’s chief for another year, four people familiar with the decision told POLITICO. 

A U.S. official said the secretary general’s leadership extension is “a done deal.” Asked if that was the case, a senior diplomat from Western Europe said “yes,” adding it “will be formalized next week.” A senior diplomat from Eastern Europe and a senior NATO official also confirmed there is consensus within the alliance for an extension.

The officials were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to preview the move before the official announcement. A spokesperson for NATO didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The move to retain Stoltenberg was widely rumored and expected ahead of a major NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania next month, billed as one of the most important alliance gatherings in years amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.  

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NATO Members Agree To Extend Secretary-General Stoltenberg’s Tenure For Another Year  

NATO members have tentative agreement to extend Secretary-General Stoltenberg’s tenure another year -- AP 

NATO Agrees To Extend Stoltenberg Mandate: Diplomats -- AFP

"Captain in the storm": Stoltenberg to remain NATO Secretary General for another year – Euractiv -- Ukrainska Pravda

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg Looked Dishevelled And Stressed At Today's NATO Meeting

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends a press conference after a meeting to prepare the upcoming Madrid summit of the alliance, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 14, 2022. (photo credit: REUTERS/EVA PLEVIER) 

 

WNU Editor: I was surprised at the appearance of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at today's NATO meeting (see above). As a former politician, diplomat, and now leader of NATO, he knows that it is a rule for people in these positions to always look clean shaven, neat, and sharp looking. 

He definitely did not look like that today. In fact, he looked like shit. His tie was crooked, hair was messed-up, and this is the first time that I have seen him unshaven. 

Optics and perception is important to political leaders like Jens Stoltenberg. They always take the time to look good. My gut tells me that he is becoming stressed by the Russia - Ukraine war, or more to the point, the intelligence that he has access to is painting a very grim picture on what is really happening in eastern Ukraine. 

Long meetings. Continuous bad news. NATO members with their own agendas. Keeping a unified message among the alliance. It looks like being clean-cut for the cameras was not the priority for Jens Stoltenberg's at today's meeting.

NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg Addresses The U.S. Congress

Reuters: NATO chief warns of Russia threat, urges unity in U.S. address

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization warned the U.S. Congress on Wednesday of the threat posed by “a more assertive Russia,” including a massive military buildup, threats to sovereign states, the use of nerve agents and cyberattacks.

“We must overcome our differences now because we will need our alliance even more in the future. We face unprecedented challenges - challenges no one nation can face alone,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Saying “time is running out,” Stoltenberg also called on Russia to return to compliance with the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, from which U.S. President Donald Trump plans to withdraw the United States this summer.

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More News On NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg Addressing The U.S. Congress

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addresses joint session of Congress -- CBS
NATO chief to Congress: Alliance 'has also been good for the United States' -- The Hill
NATO secretary general calls for confronting Russian aggression in speech to Congress -- Politico
NATO chief, in speech to Congress, declares Trump's push for more defense spending is working -- FOX News
Political impact of NATO Secretary General before US Congress (Video) -- France 24

Is NATO's New Secretary General A Former KGB Spy?

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. © REUTERS/ Stringer

NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg And His Top-Secret KGB Past -- RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, October 11 (RIA Novosti), Ekaterina Blinova - The newly-appointed Norwegian NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had ties with the KGB, the main Soviet security agency, under the code-name "Steklov" during the Cold War, according to former KGB officer Mikhail Butkov.

"In the early 1990's, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg had contacts with a Soviet Committee for State Security (KGB) officer, who established a file with personal and political information on Stoltenberg and gave him the code-name 'Steklov'," wrote the Norway Post on January 24, 2000, just a few months before Jens Stoltenberg took office as Prime Minister of Norway in March, 2000.

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My Comment: First things first .... it is strange to read this disclosure from RIA Novosti .... a news website with ties to the Kremlin. Is the story true .... or disinformation .... I will let you the reader figure that one out.

As to what is my take .... I do not know if his "ties" with the KGB involved giving state secrets .... but it was a common practice for the KGB to at least make contact with western politicians who they deemed "friendly" to the Soviet Union. Was Jens Stoltenberg one of these "friendlies" .... I do not know .... but it looks like someone in Moscow did make an assessment on him, and deemed him to be one. Is this surprising .... it should not be. When I read stories like this one I always remember what my father told me years ago .... a former Soviet Communist (who hated Communism) .... son, there are far more Communists in the West than in the Soviet Union.

New NATO Secretary-General: NATO Can Put Troops Wherever It Wants

NATO Can Put Troops Wherever It Wants, New Secretary-General Says -- Reuters

(Reuters) - New NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday that the Western alliance could deploy its forces wherever it wants, apparently calling into question post-Cold War agreements that have been shaken by Russia's actions in Crimea and Ukraine.

Stoltenberg was visiting NATO member Poland to reassure it that NATO would provide the protection it sought against its former communist master, Russia, which in recent months has annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, and been accused by the West of sending troops and equipment to back pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

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Update #1: NATO Can Put Troops Wherever It Wants, New Secretary-General Says -- NBC
Update #2: New NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg -- BBC

My Comment: A poor choice of words.