Bucharest, May 29 (FN Representative) Romanian President Klaus Iohannis may quit the race for the next NATO secretary general by early June as he might be aiming for another senior position in the European Union, Politico has reported, citing two senior European officials on the condition of anonymity. The Romanian president announced in March that he would run for the next NATO secretary general to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, but his candidature has hardly been supported. The report cited two officials as saying on Tuesday that Iohannis has come to an understanding with key allies to quit the race by early June, one month before the NATO Summit in Washington, scheduled to take place from July 9–11. Pulling out of the race before the NATO Summit and the June 6–9 European election is believed to give the president some goodwill with Western allies, which he could use during the discussions for other positions, the report said. Politico reported that some EU officials and diplomats believe that the Romanian president is playing the long game and is using the race to take another senior position within the EU. Among possible options are the position of European Commission president, if incumbent president Ursula von der Leyen does not secure the second mandate, or the next European Commissioner for Defence, although Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski is said to be the most widely named person for this position, according to the report.
At the same time, Iohannis’ office told Politico in an email that the Romanian leader was not under pressure to abandon his NATO bid. “There is no such pressure regarding the withdrawal of candidacy. This is the official response of the Presidential Administration,” the report quoted the office as saying.Moreover, the report quoted one of the officials briefed on Iohannis’ thinking as saying that his NATO bid is not merely a way to get an EU job since the Romanian president “firmly believes in the need for an Eastern European voice in this most important job for NATO at this juncture.” In February, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte would make an excellent secretary general of the NATO alliance. Washington has publicly voiced its support for Rutte’s candidature more than once. Rutte came to Istanbul in late April for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of the last holdouts. Only Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania have not endorsed Rutte, who needs the support of all 32 member states to succeed Stoltenberg.Stoltenberg’s term as NATO chief was due to expire in October 2022, but it was extended for another year after a conflict broke out in Ukraine. In July, the alliance extended his term again for another year until October 2024. He is the second-longest-serving NATO head after former Dutch Foreign Minister Joseph Luns, who held the post from 1971 to 1984.