BUCHAREST (Romania), July 17 (SeeNews) – The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said on Wednesday it is appointing as its next deputy secretary general Romania's former foreign minister Mircea Geoana, who has also served as president of the Romanian Senate and ambassador to the United States.
Geoana, who will replace Rose Gottemoeller, will take up the position in mid-October, NATO said in a press release.
"I am happy to announce the appointment of Mircea Geoana as the next Deputy Secretary General. He is a staunch advocate of the transatlantic bond and will bring long experience as a statesman and diplomat to this post. He will be the first Romanian to hold this senior office," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
Geoana is the founder and president of the Aspen Institute Romania.
Romania joined NATO in 2004.
In July last year, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said that NATO has agreed to build a three-star command centre in Romania and to upgrade a base in the southern part of the country.
Since May 2016, Romania has been hosting the Aegis Ashore NATO ballistic missile defence base at Deveselu, in the country's southwestern region.