Romania's President, Klaus Lohannis, announced Tuesday that he will enter the race to become the next leader of the 32-nation NATO military alliance, citing Romania's geographical advantage over Ukraine and the opposing threat from Russia.
Lohannis seeks to succeed Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's top civilian office since 2014, who has made clear he will not be retaining his post.
"Russia is proving to be a serious and long-term threat to our continent, to our Euro-Atlantic security," Lohannis said. "Under these conditions, NATO's borders become of paramount importance, and the strengthening of the eastern flank ... will remain a long-term priority."
Lohannis believes NATO needs a "renewal of perspectives" and notes the historical challenges Eastern Europe has faced could provide that in the face of a Russian threat.
A NATO member since 2004, Romania borders Ukraine and continues to play a pivotal role in the alliance through Russia's full-scale invasion. The country hosted a NATO meeting of foreign ministers in November 2022. In November 2023, Romania inaugurated an international training hub for F-16 jet pilots from allied countries and other partners, including Ukraine.
Many NATO members have voiced concern over Russia's attempts to reassert influence over the eastern region, especially with memories of living under Soviet influence remaining at the forefront for some.
Defense spending has increased for Romania, especially over the past two years, as NATO is on high alert amid rising concerns over the region having deployed multinational battle groups to various alliance members.
Lohannis' opposition is Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is considered a strong replacement for Stoltenberg and has the support of most member countries.
Baltic states-- Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania-- are bidding for one of their top officials to take over the job. Turkey and Hungary have previously expressed hesitations regarding Rutte. They may want to win concessions from other countries in exchange for their support, as demonstrated by acceptance of Sweden's membership to NATO, said The Associated Press.
NATO secretaries-general are responsible for chairing meetings and sometimes leading delicate consultations among member countries to maintain organization among the group.
US President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts were to name a successor to Stoltenberg when they last met in Lithuania in July 2023, however, the organization makes decisions by consensus, and no agreement was made.
They now look to conclude nominations by the end of April.
