Deputy Secretary General of NATO Mircea Geoana said on Thursday evening in Oradea that the successor of Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary general will be elected by consensus by the NATO member states, write Agerpres.
„At NATO, the selection it is not based on a popular vote, but it is a decision of the NATO countries, who consult with each other and decide. Neither I nor the incumbent secretary general is in a position to comment or interfere in any way in the succession of our positions. It is the sovereign right of the allies, by consensus, to find the general secretary they want,” Geoana replied to a question by professor Paul Magheru.
The professor wanted to know Geoana would consider the position of ecretary general of NATO.
„I can say only one thing – not because I work with Jens Stoltenberg in an extremely united team and we are colleagues and friends – that I have learned a lot from him. And we politicians, especially the Romanian ones, have the feeling that we know everything. I have learned a lot from a serious, sober man, a man who worked with four presidents: George W. Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden. So I’m not surprised that it’s not easy to find a successor to Stoltenberg. And I am absolutely convinced that the allies will find, when they find, someone suitable. My job at NATO is to do my duty until the last second of the contract and ensure a correct succession to the office of the secretary general,” said Geoana.
He was also asked if he is considering running for President of Romania. „I tell you honestly that this is not the time to discuss something like that, but we’ll see when the contract ends, what discussions we can have,” he answered.
Appointed on October 1, 2014 to a four-year term of office, Norwegian Stoltenberg, 64, has already served two terms and his term was extended until September 30, 2023.
In February, Stoltenberg said that he did not intend to have his contract renewed with the 30 NATO nations once again, as he had done last spring to avoid replacing NATO’s leadership amid Russia’s onslaught on Ukraine.
American President Joe Biden has recently asked Stoltenberg to remain in office for another year.
