Alongside the tense situation in Europe, NATO now faces the task of finding a successor to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who is set to leave his post to head Norway's Central Bank, the Norwegian Finance Ministry announced in Oslo on Friday.
Stoltenberg, who served as Norwegian prime minister from 2005 to 2013, has been NATO secretary general since 2014. His current term is set to expire in September and was not expected to be renewed, as few NATO heads stay in post for more than five years.
There is no obvious successor for Stoltenberg at NATO. According to alliance sources, former British prime minister Theresa May, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, former EU foreign affairs commissioner Federica Mogherini and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis have all been touted as possible candidates for the job.
A decision is expected to be made by the 30 NATO member states at their summit in June, if not before. In the run-up to the selection process, negotiations and confidential discussions between the leaders of member states, ministers and top diplomats are the norm.
Stoltenberg's candidacy for his new post at Norway's central bank was controversial in his home country, partly due to his close friendship with current Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støhre, a fellow social democrat.
Ida Wolden Bache, the current deputy head of the central bank, had also been discussed as a candidate. Wolden Bache is to take over temporarily in March until Stoltenberg takes office, probably at the beginning of December.
