Klaus Iohannis Confirms Entering Competition for NATO Secretary General

No Plans to Shorten Presidential Term Though, he had said earlier.

By Romania Journal Last updated Mar 13, 2024

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Romanian President Klaus Iohannis confirms that he will run for the position of NATO Secretary General. “ I decided to enter the competition for the position of NATO Secretary General,” he told a press conference at Cotroceni Palace this afternoon.

He argued that Romania has a special expertize in the region, especially amid ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict and that our country has to assume more responsibility within NATO.

“Currently, Romania is a respected member of NATO and the EU, through our foreign and security policy. For us, the transatlantic relationship is essential. I think it’s time for Romania to assume even more responsibility in NATO’s leadership structures We have a deep understanding, including from the perspective of the historical challenges in the region“, he said.

“The NATO umbrella has provided us with the strongest security guarantees in history. A military conflict in Europe is a reality that a few years ago seemed improbable. Russia is proving to be a long-term threat to our continent NATO’s borders are becoming paramount, and strengthening the eastern flank will remain a long-term priority.

Romania has proven that it is a pillar of stability and security in the region. As a major priority, we initiated a national pact with all parties for the allocation of 2% of GDP for defense, and now we have reached 2.5% of GDP.

We are among the allies who understood and assumed this commitment from the beginning. Romania contributes to all NATO missions, we contribute in the Balkans, to the security of the Black Sea, we unconditionally support Ukraine.

In CSAT we adopted strategies and measures for the army to modernize completely and at the same pace as our allies We have a complicated neighborhood with Russia and we have prepared thoroughly. Romania would not have been able to develop economically, would not have been able to attract investors without solid guarantees regarding national security. And these guarantees are directly related to NATO membership. Romania is a respected member of the EU and NATO, a status gained in recent years showing strategic predictability, direct respect for the fundamental values of the EU and NATO. We constantly acted to bring the two sides of the Atlantic as close as possible because the transatlantic relationship is essential,” Iohannis further pointed out.

“I decided to enter the competition for the position of NATO Secretary General. I undertake this candidacy on behalf of Romania with all responsibility, and this decision is based on Romania’s performance, the experience accumulated during the two mandates of Romania’s president, the deep understanding of the challenges faced by NATO, Europe, and especially our region, and my firm commitment to NATO’s core values and objectives,” the Romanian president announced.

Iohannis had declared, earlier on Tuesday, at the Cotreceni Palace, that he does not intend to shorten his term as president, referring to a question from the press regarding the possibility of occupying the position of Secretary General of NATO.

Asked if he is considering leaving his term as President before its completion to take up the post of NATO Secretary General, once he has obtained the necessary support, Klaus Iohanni replied: “As far as NATO is concerned, you know that I will make a statement a little later today at at 17:00 and I will tell you more then, but I do not intend to shorten my term as president”.

The Romanian head of state declared, at the PPE Congress in Bucharest, that we are going through a “complicated and unstable” context because of the war in Ukraine, and Europe is facing the worst situation since the Second World War.

The Presidential Administration recently notified the NATO countries that Klaus Iohannis is entering the race for the position of secretary general of the Alliance, but, according to Digi24.ro information, this was only a tactical move, to draw attention to the fact that Romania is a player in the big negotiating table and that Iohannis is a viable candidate for the top positions in NATO and the EU.

Reaction on the protocol villa allegedly assigned to Iohnnis

President Klaus Iohannis has also given his first public reaction to the scandal surrounding the RA-PPS investment of around 7 million euros in a protocol villa that would be prepared for his family after he is no longer president, according to a Recorder investigation.

“I noticed that there is such an intense concern, but it is a concern related to the elections, it is an electoral concern of some. It is not a topical issue,” Iohannis said. “I did not apply for housing for the time being, nor was it offered to me. So the theme for me is one that I read about in the newspaper“, Klaus Iohannis added.

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