NATO's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, somewhat calmly recalls the complex moments of his leadership of the alliance during his mandate. "I have always focused on my work as a facilitator and accordingly relate to the challenges of all allies," he said. Despite some disagreements, such as with U.S. President Donald Trump, Jens Stoltenberg believes that his decision to step down came at the right time. He is handing over his position to Mark Rutte. "Perhaps my tone was sometimes severe, but the goal was indeed justified. My task is to maintain stability. And it is good that this has changed us, all allies have increased their investments and obligations, and this is good for all of us," he noted. In the last ten years, Germany has faced criticism for insufficient spending on defense. Now is the time to start a new chapter in life, taking on the role of chair of the Munich Security Conference, which he is very much counting on. Jens Stoltenberg also noted that "we live in a world that has become less stable and more unpredictable. German policy in the field of security has actually strengthened, and it has indeed had a significant impact." He called on all NATO countries to adopt a more realistic approach to implementing the 2014 agreements, according to which all alliance countries are supposed to allocate 2% of GDP for defense.
