North Macedonia’s Radmila Shekerinska is set to join NATO as deputy secretary general before the end of 2024, succeeding Mircea Geoana of Romania.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the appointment in a statement Tuesday.
Shekerinska brings years of international relations and diplomacy experience. She was North Macedonia’s defense minister from 2017 to 2022. The official also served as deputy prime minister for European integration, a leadership that contributed to the southeast European nation’s accession to NATO in 2020 and consideration as a candidate to join the European Union.
Shekerinska holds a power engineering degree from Skopje’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering and a master’s in international relations from Tufts University.
“She is a true believer in NATO, knows the work it takes to join the alliance and what it means to be a full member. I look forward to working with her as she takes up this vital role,” Rutte said.
The appointment is the latest development in NATO’s leadership. Rutte took over from Jens Stoltenberg in October.