There is a lot of speculation about the successor of Stoltenberg, who will reportedly leave his position in October.
The white one according to the house, the secretary general of the military alliance NATO Jens Stoltenberg the President of the United States is visiting Joe Biden at the beginning of next week, a month before the summer summit of the military alliance in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre according to Biden and Stoltenberg will discuss plans for the Vilnius meeting and NATO allies’ support for Ukraine.
The summer meeting in July will likely be Stoltenberg’s last in his position, as his term as NATO Secretary General is scheduled to end in October, although in theory it can also be extended. Stoltenberg’s spokesman, however, denied in the German media at the beginning of the year that the Secretary General was only applying for a fourth extension, he said Politico.
The White House did not comment on Stoltenberg’s chances of continuing in the position, but showed appreciation for the work done by Stoltenberg.
“The Secretary General has done an exceptionally good job at this critical time in history. The White House is very grateful for his leadership,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.
There is still no clear successor candidate for Stoltenberg to lead the military union, which is struggling with historical challenges, although several names have been thrown around in speculations. Among these has even been the outgoing prime minister of Finland Sanna Marin (sd), but this has been considered an extremely unlikely option because Finland has been a NATO member for such a short time.
Although Although Marin would not be a realistic option, the idea of the first female Secretary General in NATO’s history has aroused interest. The prime minister of Denmark is considered one of the early favorites Mette Frederiksen. Frederiksen, who visited Washington on Monday, was thought to be seeking Biden’s blessing for his candidacy as a visitor.
CEPA think tank according to Frederiksen’s choice, on the other hand, might arouse resentment because it would already be the third consecutive Secretary General from the Nordic countries, which historically have not fulfilled their NATO obligations with the size of their defense budgets. The British defense minister is also considered a strong candidate Ben Wallace.
The general secretary elections are largely held behind the scenes in discussions between the member countries. The candidate to be elected secretary general of NATO, which is led by consensus decisions, needs the support of every member country – which means Finland as well.
Along with Ukraine and the next Secretary General, one of NATO’s biggest talking points is the hoped-for realization of Sweden’s membership by the time of the Vilnius meeting. Sweden’s application for membership is still being held up by member countries Turkey and Hungary. The United States has urged countries to accept Sweden’s membership as soon as possible.
#NATO #Stoltenberg #visit #Biden #NATO #Summit #Vilnius
