The current Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, Chrystia Freeland, is being considered among the candidates for the post of NATO Secretary General.
This is reported by CBC News with reference to officials from Ottawa, Washington, and Brussels, where the headquarters of NATO is located.
Freelandʼs candidacy has been discussed in international defense and security circles for several months. Freeland herself did not deny or confirm this information — she avoided a direct answer, saying that she "already has two jobs" (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada).
One of the senior NATO officials said that there is a high probability that the next NATO Secretary General will be a woman.
- The current NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, was supposed to leave his post in September 2022, but due to the Russian invasion, he was kept on for another year.
- Among other possible candidates for the post of Secretary General, former president of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, ex-president of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė, and former president of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid are being considered.