Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will become Norway’s finance minister, NRK reports, citing sources.
The changes will be officially announced on Tuesday, the sources say. Now the Norwegian Finance Ministry is headed by Trygve Vedum, he will return to the parliament as a deputy.
Stoltenberg stepped down as head of the alliance last October. He was scheduled to become the new chairman of the Munich Security Conference from February 2025, replacing Christoph Heusgen. The former secretary-general recounted:
“I have devoted my entire political life to peacekeeping. I am honoured to chair the Munich Security Conference and to contribute to its mission of peace through dialogue.”
Stoltenberg’s career began in Norway, he is originally from Oslo and is a member of the Norwegian Workers’ Party. He was Norwegian Minister of Industry and Energy from 1993-1996, then headed the Ministry of Finance for a year, and was Prime Minister of Norway from 2000-2001 and 2005-2013 before leaving to become NATO Secretary General.
In 2022, he was due to leave his post as leader of the alliance to become head of the Norwegian Central Bank, but his mandate was extended due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
