NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg nominated for Nobel peace prize

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Feb 2023 10:14
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Norwegian politician Christian Tybring-Gjedde says that he sees no issue in nominating the leader of a military alliance.

Jens Stoltenberg at the launch of #NATO2030 in Brussels, 08 June 2020. (NATO)

In an interview with Norwegian news outlet Nettavisen published on Thursday, far-right Norwegian MP Christian Tybring-Gjedde said that he nominated NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg for the Nobel peace prize.

The staunchly Islamophobic lawmaker, who previously nominated former US President Donald Trump in 2020, said that Stoltenberg "managed to bring NATO together at a very important and demanding time, which is perhaps the biggest crisis since the Second World War."

He also praised Stoltenberg for his diplomatic approach in dealing with Turkey's objections with regard to Sweden and Finland's bid to obtain NATO membership.

Tybring-Gjedde added that he sees no issue in nominating the leader of a military alliance, since the active pursuit of peace constitutes a notable criterion sought by the foundation.

The Norwegian politician added that not all recipients end up fulfilling the prize's criteria.

"You cannot get the peace prize just because you are a kind person," he said, adding that he pondered about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as being deserving of the prize.

Though he admitted that Zelensky was "indeed in the middle of a war."

The Nobel peace prize requires that the award goes to "the person who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses."

On January 29, Chair of the NATO Military Committee Rob Bauer said, during an interview for Portugal’s RTP TV channel, that the US-led bloc is ready for "a direct confrontation with Russia."

He also claimed that NATO will only respond if Russia crosses the "red line" by "invading" one of NATO's member states. The top military figure emphasized that NATO should be more prepared because Russia presently has the "military initiative".

When asked about the possibility of using nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war, he responded by assuring that Russia will not use nuclear weapons.

"Vladimir Putin is not insane; he is a rational person," he added.

This comes following a fleet of Western narratives that aim to raise fears across the globe regarding a potential nuclear disaster. The West has been accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of intensifying the Ukraine war, claiming that Russia is willing to deploy nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

But Russia has reiterated several times that its nuclear deterrence policy was guided by the postulate of the inadmissibility of nuclear war, as there could be no winners in such a conflict.