From the armchair crisis to NATO: a new mission for Ursula von der Leyen on the way
On the agenda has been the news that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will be appointed NATO Secretary General starting next year.
According to the sources, the United States agreed with France on this issue. However, it is not known if any information was given to Turkey, which has the second largest army in NATO.
During the visit to Ankara in 2021, while the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and President Erdoğan occupied individual seats, the German politician Ursula von der Leyen was on the agenda. This situation was claimed to be Michel’s “protocol game”.
Biden and von der Leyen
It was claimed that the proposal to Ursula von der Leyen was taken up by US President Biden. If Leyen assumes this position, it will be the first time in NATO history that a woman is Secretary General.
The mandate of the current NATO Secretary General, the Danish Jens Stoltenberg, was extended for one year just two days ago.
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The British Telegraph newspaper wrote that one of the reasons for Stoltenberg’s term extension was that Ursula von der Leyen did not accept this duty ahead of next year’s European Parliament elections and asked for time off.
According to the news, in the period between the European Parliament elections and the end of Stoltenberg’s term, the button to appoint Ursula von der Leyen will be pressed. According to US President Biden’s plan, Ursula von der Leyen will take over from her in NATO no later than the summer of 2024.
It was noted that the US side also reached a consensus with French President Emmanuel Macron on this issue.
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederikssen, who were mentioned by the NATO Secretary General, were said to have been unwelcome.