When current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg resigns in September 2022, he could be succeeded for the first time in the Alliance’s 72-year history by a woman, and the three most likely candidates for the post could be former Lithuanian President, former European Union (EU) Commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite, current Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaida and former Croatian President Kolinda Grabara-Kitaroviča, writes the political media Politico on Monday.
Formal discussions on who should replace Stoltenberg have just begun, but some officials, diplomats and analysts in Brussels and other NATO capitals say the time is right to entrust the Alliance with a senior civilian post.
It has also been suggested that, at a time when relations with Russia are still strained, the appointment of a NATO Secretary General as a representative of an Eastern European country would send a strong message to Moscow.
Taking into account both of these circumstances, Grībauskaite, Kaljulaida and Grabara-Kitaroviča are mentioned as the most real applicants.
Some experts have said that now that US President Joe Biden is trying to stabilize relations between the West and Russia, choosing a new NATO Secretary General from a Baltic state – and especially Grybauskaite – would be a step that Moscow could see as too hostile a gesture.
The prospect of Kaljulaid could be increased by the fact that Estonia is one of the NATO member states that fulfills its commitment to devote at least 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense. At the same time, it is pointed out that the fulfillment of these commitments would allow the name of the President of Romania, Klaus Johannis, to be added to the list of potential candidates.
Politico points out, among other things, that the post of Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) would have been more suitable for Kaljulaida, having represented her in the European Court of Auditors for 12 years before being elected President of Estonia. for that post.
Her term as President of Estonia will end in October. Kaljulaida has expressed his readiness to apply for this position again, but so far support for such an intention has been confirmed only by one of the political forces represented by the Estonian Parliament – the Social Democratic Party.
Grabara-Kitarovich’s advantage is that she already has experience in the North Atlantic Alliance, having previously served as NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, and before that as Croatia’s Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Minister, who made a major contribution to her country’s path to the EU. and NATO, as well as the Ambassador to the United States.-
The publication also mentions other potential candidates, including former British Prime Minister Teresa Maye, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rite and former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, former Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini.
The new Alliance Secretary General is expected to be presented at the NATO Madrid Summit in late spring or early summer.
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