China News Service, March 13. According to the Associated Press report, on the 12th local time, Romanian President Iohannis announced his decision to run for the post of Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
According to reports, Iohannis said at a press conference that day, "I have decided to run for the post of NATO Secretary-General. I represent Romania in a responsible manner. This decision is based on the experience I gained during my two terms as Romanian president. and a deep understanding of the issues facing NATO, Europe and our region.”
Iohannis said he decided to represent Romania in the election and that the Eastern European country was crucial to NATO's new prospects.
Iohannis, 65, was elected President of Romania in 2014 and was successfully re-elected in November 2019.
The Romanian president's term is 5 years.
Current NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has extended his term twice since taking office in 2014, and his current term is scheduled to end in October 2024.
Leaders from many European countries have expressed interest in the position.
Previously, a U.S. government official who requested anonymity disclosed that U.S. President Biden supports Dutch Prime Minister Rutte as NATO Secretary-General, but Biden has not publicly expressed his support for Rutte.
US Secretary of State Blinken also proposed to nominate European Commission President von der Leyen as NATO Secretary-General, but German Chancellor Scholz opposed it.
Analysts said that Johannes's statement increased the uncertainty about the successor of the NATO Secretary-General.
According to NATO regulations, the candidate for secretary-general must have the unanimous support of all member states.