NATO allies agree to extend Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s term until October 2024

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - The NATO allies have agreed to extend the term of the alliance’s secretary general until October 2024, Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

Saying he was honored by the decision, Stoltenberg said on Twitter: “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.”

Since 2014, Norwegian politician Stoltenberg, 63, has been serving as the alliance's 13th general secretary.

The decision comes amid a reported lack of agreement over a possible successor to Stoltenberg, as well as many allies wanting to keep a steady hand at NATO’s helm as Russia’s war on Ukraine nears the 18-month mark, posing a continued challenge to the alliance.

"The mandate of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has been extended three times, and he has served for a total of almost nine years," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in February, when Stoltenberg was due to step down this October and had resisted yet another extension of his term.