Outgoing NATO chief set to become chairman of Munich Security Conference

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Outgoing NATO chief is set to become the next chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the forum announced on Tuesday.

“Jens Stoltenberg will become the next chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in February 2025,” it said in a statement.

Commenting on the development, Stoltenberg said: “It is a great honor for me to serve as chairman of the Munich Security Conference and make a contribution to its mission 'peace through dialogue.' Few international platforms are as important as the MSC to promote conflict prevention, dialogue, and international cooperation.”

On Oct. 1, former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte assumed his functions as new secretary-general of NATO, replacing Norway's Jens Stoltenberg who ran the alliance for a decade.

In June, NATO announced that Rutte, 47, was formally confirmed as chief of the military alliance, replacing Jens Stoltenberg whose tenure was extended due to the Ukraine war.

He was the sole candidate after Romanian President Klaus Iohannis withdrew from the race.

NATO allies agreed in July 2023 to extend 65-year-old Stoltenberg's mandate for another year until Oct. 1, 2024. He had been serving as the 13th secretary-general of NATO since 2014.