Mircea Geoană (Romania) - Deputy Secretary-General of NATO

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has decided to appoint Mircea Geoană (Romania) as the next Deputy Secretary General, states a press release posted on Wednesday on NATO website. Geoană will replace Rose Gottemoeller (United States), who took up this position in October 2016.

”I am happy to announce the appointment of Mircea Geoană as the next Deputy Secretary General. He is a staunch advocate of the transatlantic bond and will bring long experience as a statesman and diplomat to this post. He will be the first Romanian to hold this senior office. I am very grateful to Rose Gottemoeller. Her diplomatic skills and her expertise in international security policy have been invaluable to the Alliance, as NATO continues to adapt to a more unpredictable security environment”, Stoltenberg mentioned in a statement, according to NATO Newsroom.

”I am delighted to be appointed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as the next Deputy Secretary General. This is both a great challenge and a great opportunity to serve our Alliance, which keeps almost one billion people safe. Throughout my entire career, I have been an advocate for the transatlantic bond and for Romania’s Euro-Atlantic integration, so I am truly honored to be the first Romanian to be appointed to this key post. This is also a recognition of Romania’s strong contribution to NATO”, Mircea Geoană wrote on his Twitter account.

Nomination of Geoană was welcomed by Romanian Senate President Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă, Romanian Foreign Ministry and Minister-Delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, according to RADOR.

Mircea Geoana is the founder and president of the Aspen Institute Romania. He previously served as President of the Romanian Senate, Foreign Minister, and Romania’s Ambassador to the United States. He will take up his post in mid-October 2019.

Source:RRA,NATO Newsroom.Translated by Miruna Matei