NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) held a ceremony at its headquarters in Belgium to celebrate the addition of Sweden, expanding its membership to 32 countries.
On the other hand, in NATO, opinions are divided among member countries regarding the successor to the Secretary-General, and prompt selection is the next issue.
On the 11th, NATO held a ceremony at its headquarters in Belgium to celebrate Sweden's new membership.
At the press conference, Secretary General Stoltenberg said, ``NATO has increased its presence in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and it has become even stronger with Sweden's membership. NATO has become bigger and stronger.''
We then raised the Swedish flag at our headquarters to celebrate the expansion of our membership to 32 countries.
Sweden's membership was only achieved on the 7th of this month after approval was obtained from Turkey and Hungary earlier this year, but NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, whose term of office ends on October 1st this year, The process of selecting a successor is in full swing.
Dutch Prime Minister Rutte is seen as the likely successor, and reportedly has the support of the United States, Germany, France, and other countries, but Hungary has already expressed its opposition.
In addition, opinion is divided among the member countries, with some countries that joined after the end of the Cold War, such as the Baltic states Estonia and Romania, saying that the next selection should be from these countries.
NATO is aiming to reach an agreement with all member states by the summit meeting to be held in Washington, USA this summer, and the next task is to quickly select a successor to the Secretary-General.