Diplomatic sources claim: Jens Stoltenberg remains NATO chief

(Patria) - NATO members are expected to agree on Tuesday to extend Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's mandate for another year, four diplomats confirmed today, reports Reuters.

In recent weeks, there have been numerous signals pointing to such a decision, but now NATO ambassadors are expected to formally approve the extension of the Alliance chief's mandate during a meeting on Tuesday, diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Stoltenberg has led the North Atlantic Alliance through a series of crises since taking office in 2014, and recently rallied NATO members in support of Ukraine while trying to prevent the escalation of the war there into a direct conflict between NATO and Russia.

Stoltenberg (64) is a former Norwegian prime minister. He was supposed to end his term as the highest civilian official in the transatlantic security alliance at the end of September, but it is now likely he will stay for another 12 months.

The NATO Secretary General said in February that he was not seeking an extension of his contract. However, NATO members asked him to accept it after failing to reach a consensus on a successor.

Among those discussed as candidates were British Defence Minister Ben Wallace, who has openly said he would like the job, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who has publicly insisted she is not a candidate for the position, reports Hina.