While Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday he would fully support the possible candidacy of former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic for the post of NATO's Secretary-General, he added the story is just speculation for now.

Croatian media have reported, without naming their sources, that there is talk that Grabar-Kitarovic, former British Prime Minister Theresa May, and former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite are possible candidates for a new NATO chief.

Plenkovic said he was not surprised by these reports because Grabar-Kitarovic “enjoys a good reputation internationally, she was an active and engaged president, a foreign minister, she worked at NATO and understands international and security issues.”

“I am glad that this is being discussed, but one should be realistic and be careful that the speculation is not premature,” he said.

The term of the incumbent NATO Secretary-General, former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, expires on September 30, 2022.