NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says he plans to step down as NATO chief in the autumn. Last week, news learned that US President Joe Biden had made it clear that Stoltenberg must stay on as Secretary General of NATO for a while longer, even though his term ends in September. The two had a meeting in the White House days before. – Has Biden asked you to stay until April? – I have no other plans than to end my work in NATO when I have to, and that is in the autumn. I am completely confident that NATO’s 31 member states will manage to find an excellent successor after me, says Jens Stoltenberg to news and adds: – I am responsible – and facilitate all decisions and processes we have in NATO, with one exception: That is the decision about my successor. I am confident that the NATO countries will find a good solution. Does not comment on requests Nor will Stoltenberg comment on whether he has received requests to stay from other NATO countries. – It would be completely impossible if I went and told about everything that various managers have said, and not said, to me about all sorts of different matters, he says. Jens Stoltenberg met today with the German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz. At the press conference, he was also asked by the journalists whether he was going to continue as NATO chief. Photo: Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP / AFP Repeats the same answer The Secretary-General will today hold a press conference in Berlin together with the German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz. Also then, the NATO chief was asked if he would like to continue in the job until April next year. – I have no plans to apply for an extension. I concentrate on my job. I have nothing more to say, he replied. In any case, there is no question of applying for an extension, but that the member states can ask him to stay on for an extra six months. Stoltenberg took over as Secretary General of NATO in 2014. His term has been extended three times previously, most recently last year when Russia attacked Ukraine. Time is running out As news wrote earlier this spring, several sources familiar with the process have stressed that the time to find a replacement before the summit in Vilnius in mid-July is running out. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has been singled out as a strong candidate, but denied that she was going to become NATO chief last week. It happened after a meeting with Biden, where it became clear that she did not have the president’s full support, according to the Financial Times. Both Frederiksen and Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius say they support an extension for Stoltenberg if it becomes relevant. – Stoltenberg has strong support from Norway, said Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) to NTB last week.
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Stoltenberg will not comment on the conversation with Joe Biden
