Jens Stoltenberg 'to take over Munich Security Conference'

Nato's outgoing Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is expected to take control of an annual gathering of Europe's defence elite when he leaves office.

Mr Stoltenberg, 65, will become chairman of the Munich Security Conference after its February 2025 meeting, Politico reported. A spokeswoman for the conference did not deny the report, saying any appointments would be announced in due course.

A Nato official said: “We do not comment on rumours. Mr Stoltenberg is fully focused on the completion of his tenure as Nato Secretary General.”

The former prime minister of Norway will step down as Nato chief next month after a decade-long term that was extended twice following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He will be succeeded by the former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte.
The influential Munich summit is attended by presidents, kings and generals and is regarded as the defence and security equivalent of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Its current chairman is Christoph Heusgen, a foreign policy adviser to the former German chancellor Angela Merkel.

Last February's summit was overshadowed by the war in the Middle East but ceasefire discussions on the margins failed to yield a breakthrough. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told delegates the situation in Gaza was "an appalling indictment of the deadlock in global relations".