NATO allies decide to extend alliance secretary general's mandate by a year, but he won't

NATO member states believe that Jens Stoltenberg's term as secretary general should be extended for another term, Welt and Reuters have reported.

However, the German newspaper Die Zeit quoted NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungeski as saying that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is not going to extend his term, which expires on September 30, 2023, because he has already served three consecutive terms after nearly nine years as secretary general.

The newspaper Welt am Sonntag wrote that NATO countries had nevertheless reached an informal agreement that would keep Stoltenberg in office until spring 2024.

This is so that he can preside over a summit in Washington in April to mark NATO's 75th anniversary. He has also received outstanding achievements for NATO, especially against the background of the war in Ukraine," the newspaper said.

According to the newspaper's interlocutors, after Stoltenberg's termination, he has a good chance to take over as president of the World Bank. It is known that he wanted to leave his post as early as last year and return home to become the central bank's governor.

Jens Stoltenberg is a Norwegian statesman and politician, prime minister of Norway from 2000-2001 and 2005-2013, and secretary general of NATO.