Jens Stoltenberg told Aftenposten interviewers Trine Eilertsen and Harald Stanghelle that he had enjoyed boozy evenings with the German chancellor “many times”.Â
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“She drinks white wine, and I drink beer,” he said. “I am very impressed by her stamina. We had a very good evening in Stralsund [a German coastal town where Merkel hosted a summit in 2012]. ”Â
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Stoltenberg said that the two leaders had developed their strong personal chemistry during negotiations over climate change, particularly “those long nights in Copenhagen in 2009”.Â
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“That gives you a kind of chemistry, a kind of closeness,” he said. “Obama is also someone I have met many times. I think it was those two who supported me as a candidate for [Nato] General Secretary.”Â
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Stoltenberg said that both Merkel and himself had been elected as their countries’ leaders in 2005, bringing him an additional link to the longstanding German chancellor.Â
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He dismissed the public perception of political leaders as primarily cold, Machiavellian careerists.Â
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“Political leaders are mainly sociable, nice people, otherwise they wouldn’t have been elected," he said. "It’s easy to make friends.”Â
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