Former NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg becomes Norway's Finance Minister

Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today, February 4, became Norway's new finance minister, according to Reuters.

The appointment of former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, 66, as finance minister could give Norway's struggling Labour-led government a boost in opinion polls ahead of parliamentary elections in September, Reuters reported.

Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the Norwegian capital Oslo on February 4.

Stoltenberg's appointment as finance minister brings an experienced negotiator and diplomat to Norway's cabinet at a time of global trade tensions. "This team is ready to lead Norway in difficult times," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters outside the Royal Palace after the new cabinet met with King Harald.

Mr Stoltenberg served as Norway's prime minister from 2000-2001 and 2005-2013. He also served as NATO secretary general for 10 years, ending last year.

At NATO, Mr Stoltenberg is known as the "Trump whisperer" for persuading Donald Trump to keep NATO together after he complained during his first term that allies were spending too little on defence and threatened to withdraw the US from the military alliance.

Mr Stoltenberg is trained as an economist and served as finance minister in 1996-1997. He is seen as a pragmatic centrist.

In 2022, Mr Stoltenberg was due to become Norway's central bank governor but did not take up the role after then-US President Joe Biden asked him to continue as NATO secretary general.

Norway, a non-EU country of 5.5 million with an export-driven economy, fears it could be vulnerable to a transatlantic trade war if President Trump continues to threaten tariffs on EU goods. Norway’s main exports are oil, gas and fish.

New Finance Minister Stoltenberg said today that the Norwegian government will do everything possible to avoid imposing tariffs on its products, according to Reuters.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/former-nato-general-secretary-stoltenberg-lam-bo-truong-tai-chinh-na-uy-185250204191730401.htm