Radmila Shekerinska, the former Minister of Defense of North Macedonia, has been appointed as the next Deputy Secretary General of NATO, the military alliance announced on Tuesday.
NATO said that its head, Mark Rutte, decided to appoint Shekerinska to the position.
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Radmila Shekerinska as the next Deputy Secretary General. She truly believes in NATO, understands the work required to be part of the alliance, and knows what it means to be a full member,” said Rutte.
Shekerinska will officially take on the new role at the end of this year.
She has previously served as Deputy Minister for European Integration and Minister of Defense of North Macedonia, including during the country’s accession to NATO in 2020.
Shekerinska will replace the current acting Deputy Secretary General, Boris Ruge, who temporarily took on the role earlier this fall after the previous Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana, announced his candidacy for president of Romania.
Several NATO officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Radio Free Europe that there was a strong desire for this position to go to someone from Central and Eastern Europe, and ideally to a woman.
Other candidates included former Bulgarian Foreign Minister Maria Gabriel, former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, and Olivera Injac, the former Minister of Defense of Montenegro from 2020 to 2022.
Shekerinska will be the highest-ranking NATO official from the Western Balkans outside the European Union. She is currently the Vice President of the European Socialist Party.
The main role of the Deputy Secretary General is to replace the head of NATO and chair meetings of the 32 ambassadors in the North Atlantic Council twice a week or in any urgent meetings, including the NATO-Ukraine Council.
