Former NATO Secretary General and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is returning to his homeland as finance minister. The 65-year-old politician joins the Workers' Party government months before the regular parliamentary elections, after the Scandinavian country's ruling coalition last week split with its junior partner – The Centre Party, due to disputes related to European Union regulations on the energy market.
This left current Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, leader of the center-left Workers' Party and a Stoltenberg ally, with several vacant ministerial portfolios, including that of Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, the leader of the Centre Party, the Associated Press reported.
Stoltenberg and Gahr Støre appeared on Tuesday at an event in Oslo, where the prime minister presented his new team, but the prime minister did not explicitly mention Stoltenberg's new position, notes “ABC News”.
“Stoltenberg has already done most of the work in Norwegian and international politics. "And he is also a personal friend of mine," the prime minister said, according to state broadcaster NRK.
Further clarification was provided in a statement published on the website of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, which Stoltenberg was due to chair after its annual meeting later this month. Stoltenberg said it was "an honour to be asked to help my home country at this critical juncture." "After carefully considering the current challenges we face, I have decided to accept Prime Minister Støre's request to serve as his finance minister. I will return to the Munich Security Conference and my other responsibilities when my term ends. I am grateful for the decision to temporarily release me from my duties while I serve my country again," he added.
Before becoming NATO secretary general, Stoltenberg served twice as prime minister of Norway - in 2000-2001 and 2005-2013. He was also finance minister in the 1990s. As secretary general, Stoltenberg led NATO through the turbulent first administration of US President Donald Trump, recalls “Politico”.
“I didn't plan to be here“, Stoltenberg told reporters upon entering the Finance Ministry, quoted by Agence France-Presse. He added that when his “close friend“ Gar Støre offered him the job last week, “the only right answer was “yes”. Speaking about the risk of a trade war, he stressed how important it was “to do everything possible to protect ourselves against the erection of trade barriers against Norway“.
At the same time, he revealed his immediate plans in the post, Reuters reported. He said reaching out to the Trump administration on trade was key to avoiding tariffs. The appointment of the widely respected veteran politician and diplomat at a time of global trade tensions could also boost the Norwegian government's poll ratings, the agency noted.
“Deutsche Welle” highlighted Stoltenberg's reputation as a pragmatist. According to the agency, he takes the key post as the Labour Party government lags in polls ahead of September's elections and as a possible transatlantic trade war looms on the horizon. The article recalls that while he was at the helm of NATO, Stoltenberg was called “Trump's whisperer” (Trump-whisperer) because he managed to convince the US president to stick with the alliance despite his complaints that the allies spend too little on defense, and despite threats to withdraw from the organization.
A popular and international figure, Stoltenberg could be just what Norway needs to ease its current tensions with the European Union, notes Juraktiv. Given his popularity both in Oslo and Brussels, his return to the national stage could give the Labor Party an additional boost to maintain its positions in the upcoming autumn elections, the media outlet notes.
The leaders of the country's two main opposition right-wing parties, Sylvie Listhaug of the Progress Party and Erna Solberg of the Conservative Party, praised Stoltenberg's competence, although they criticized the Labor Party's economic policy in general. “It is good to welcome Stoltenberg's return to Norwegian politics. "After three and a half years, Norway finally gets a competent finance minister, but unfortunately, the policy remains the same," Listhaug said, quoted by the newspaper "Fagbladet."
The leader of the far-left Red Party, Marie Snev Martinussen, called Stoltenberg's appointment "interesting", reports the Norwegian English-language publication "News in English". She recalled as a positive fact that as Prime Minister Stoltenberg "introduces a higher level of taxation for those with great wealth and for companies with large profits". And Marit Arnstad from the Center Party believes that Stoltenberg "comes to the aid of her party in the pre-election period". "I think that is why the Workers' Party puts him in this position", she added.
Local political scientists are of the same opinion, who believe that Stoltenberg's unexpected return to domestic politics is expected to give the Workers' Party a boost before the parliamentary elections, given his popularity among Norwegians. "A strong injection of vitamins for Støre's cabinet," said political scientist Aslak Eriksrud, quoted by the newspaper "Local".