Türkiye congratulates NATO chief Stoltenberg on term extension

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye on Wednesday congratulated NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on his new one-year extension at the alliance’s helm.

"We welcome the decision of the NATO Council to extend the tenure of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg until 1 October 2024," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We congratulate Secretary General Stoltenberg who has been displaying close cooperation and solidarity with our country during his time in office," it added.

The ministry said that since taking office in 2014, Stoltenberg has worked to preserve the unity and solidarity of the alliance amid growing threats and challenges, including terrorism.

"We believe he will continue to portray the requisite leadership."

The NATO allies this week agreed to extend the term of Stoltenberg as secretary general until October 2024.

Since 2014, Norwegian politician Stoltenberg, 64, has been serving as the alliance's 13th secretary general.

This is the fourth extension of his term, which had been set to end this fall.

Türkiye has been a NATO member for over 70 years, and boasts the alliance’s second-largest army.