Former Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg speaks with the media regarding 2024 U.S. statesmanlike election, successful Oslo, Norway, November 6, 2024.
Thomas Fure | Via Reuters
NATO's erstwhile Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has been appointed arsenic Norway's adjacent concern minister, the authorities announced Tuesday.
Stoltenberg headed the Western subject confederation for 10 years earlier stepping down successful 2024 and handing the reins implicit to erstwhile Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Stoltenberg's caller presumption successful Norway's concern curate is portion of a furniture reshuffle that was announced by the authorities connected Tuesday greeting and follows connected the illness of Norway's ruling conjugation past week amid infighting implicit EU vigor directives.
Stoltenberg, a subordinate of the Norwegian Labour Party, is simply a seasoned of Norway and Europe's governmental constitution and antecedently enactment arsenic Norway's premier curate twice, from 2000 to 2001 and from 2005 to 2013.
Stoltenberg volition service nether the country's existent Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre.
Oil and state affluent Norway is not a portion of the European Union but works intimately with the bloc arsenic a subordinate of the wider European Economic Area.
Before its collapse, the governing conjugation caused consternation successful Brussels erstwhile some the Labour Party and the euroskeptic Center Party opposed the renewal of 2 ageing vigor transmission cables exporting powerfulness to neighboring Denmark, prompting accusations of vigor nationalism.
Critics of the cables accidental they've contributed to soaring vigor prices for home consumers astatine a clip of precocious demand, arguing that Norway should prioritize vigor for its ain citizens alternatively than sharing its power.
Stoltenberg was antecedently owed to go the seat of the Munich Security Conference, but his assignment to the Norwegian concern ministry volition hold him taking up that position, the MSC said Tuesday.
He volition instrumentality to his pro bono presumption astatine the helm of the Munich Security Conference erstwhile helium leaves nationalist service, it said successful a statement. Stoltenberg commented that helium was "deeply honoured to person been asked to assistance my state astatine this captious stage."
He added, "Having cautiously considered the existent challenges we face, I person decided to judge Prime Minister Støre's request to service arsenic his Minister of Finance. I volition instrumentality to the Munich Security Conference and to my different responsibilities erstwhile my tenure is over. I americium grateful for the determination to temporarily merchandise maine from my duties portion I service my state erstwhile again. I volition stay engaged with the MSC and its galore activities arsenic overmuch arsenic my caller bureau allows successful the meantime."
The Labour Party, oregon Arbeidarpartiet, is expected to govern unsocial until caller parliamentary elections instrumentality spot successful September.
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