Nato boss Stoltenberg to stay in post for an extra year
Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is "honoured" to be staying in office for another year after the 31-nation military alliance decided on an extension of his term.
Mr Stoltenberg, 64, is a former prime minister of Norway and has been the alliance's top civilian official since 2014.
It was reported in February that he was not seeking an extension to his contract, but with Nato members unable to reach consensus on a successor they asked him to stay on longer.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was thought to be among those discussed as contenders – with him openly saying he would like to do the job.
However, in June, Mr Wallace ruled himself out of contention to succeed Nato secretary general Mr Stoltenberg.
Mr Wallace told The Economist "it's not going to happen" and there are "a lot of unresolved issues in Nato".
He also said he was keen to succeed Mr Stoltenberg but failed to garner enough support.
In a post to Twitter, Mr Stoltenberg said: "Honoured by Nato allies' decision to extend my term as Secretary General until 1 October 2024.
"The transatlantic bond between Europe and North America has ensured our freedom and security for nearly 75 years, and in a more dangerous world, our alliance is more important than ever."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did talk up Mr Wallace as "widely respected" by international allies after the Defence Secretary confirmed his interest in the top Nato job, but did not, however, say whether he would support Mr Wallace's bid for the role.
Following the news of Mr Stoltenberg's extension, Mr Sunak praised the Nato Secretary-General.
On Twitter, he said: "Jens Stoltenberg's leadership, Nato has evolved to meet new threats, continued to protect our people and has been steadfast in support of Ukraine. Looking forward to continuing that work together, Jens."
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