President Klaus Iohannis says he backed out of race for NATO Secretary General for unity
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Loading... - Faith Tyler
- 11 Jul 2024
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Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced that he withdrew his candidacy for NATO Secretary General, emphasizing that the unity and future of NATO were more important than his personal political ambitions. Iohannis explained that he engaged in productive and open one-on-one discussions but ultimately chose to step back before a final decision was made, to ensure the timely appointment of a NATO Secretary General.
"There were interesting negotiations, there were discussions that I had, which I would classify as very good, very open, informal, all one-on-one discussions, and in the end, I decided that NATO's fate is much more important than my political fate and, before there was a general final conclusion, I decided accordingly to withdraw from the race, to allow the appointment of a NATO Secretary General before this Summit," said Iohannis, as reported by Digi24.
He further remarked that sometimes it is crucial to consider the broader implications and act accordingly. Following his withdrawal, Mark Rutte, former Dutch Prime Minister, was officially designated by the 32 NATO member states as the new Secretary General. Rutte, who received unanimous support, will assume office on October 1, 2024, succeeding the current Secretary General when his term ends.
