Romanian president touted as possible successor to outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg

Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis has been touted as possible to successor to the current NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg who will leave the post later this year.

Standoff

The military alliance currently is embroiled in the standoff between Russia and the West.

Mr Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, will become governor of the Norwegian National Bank it was announced Friday.

There is no obvious successor for Stoltenberg at NATO.

Alliance sources said President Klaus Iohannis, former British Prime Minister Theresa May, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutter, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and former EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini have all been named as possible candidates for the role, German news agency DPA reported.

Staunch supporter

Mr Iohannis, 62, has been a staunch supporter of NATO and the European Union since he took office in 2014. Romania has been a solid ally of the military alliance in the region largely due to Mr. Iohannis and officials he has appointed to key positions.

In the face of opposition, the president has managed almost single-handedly to keep the East European country on a pro-Western trajectory in spite of political turmoil and efforts to dilute the anti-corruption fight at home. His current term ends in 2024.

The 30-member military alliance is expected to make a final decision at a summit in June.

Mr. Stoltenberg will relinquish his role as NATO head at the end of September.

New role

Speaking of the new role he will start on Dec. 1, Mr. Stoltenberg said he was “grateful for the trust and am looking forward to taking on the job,” he said in an online news conference.

The current governor of Norges Bank, 70-year-old Oystein Olsen, is set to retire after holding the position since the beginning of 2011.

Mr. Stoltenberg, 62, was the Norwegian finance minister from 1996 to 2000 and prime minister from 2000 to 2001. He became Norway’s premier in 2005, a position he held for a further eight years.

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