Norway’s former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has been chosen by NATO to be its next Secretary-General. <br /><br />He will succeed Anders Fogh Rasmussen who tweeted his approval, saying the Ukraine crisis showed the need for continued strong and determined leadership.<br /><br />Rasmussen, an ex- Danish premier, has led the Western military alliance since 2009.<br /><br />Stoltenberg will take over in October, becoming the first Norwegian to occupy NATO’s top post.<br /><br />It comes at a time when NATO, seen by some as a Cold War relic, has gained new relevance because of concerns about a newly assertive Russia following its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.<br /><br />Stoltenberg will face a challenge in trying to persuade European countries to reverse, or at least end, sharp cuts in defence spending that many of them have adopted in response to the financial crisis.<br /><br />He served for nearly 10 years as Norway’s prime minister before losing elections last September.<br /><br />He was in office when far right militant Anders Behring Breivik went on a bombing and shooting spree in 2011 that killed 77 people.
