OSLO, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende has accepted the position of the World Economic Forum president and will remain in the ministerial post until mid-October, online newspaper E24 reported Friday.
At a joint press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Brende said the job change was a difficult decision.
"It has been a privilege to be foreign minister in four challenging and exciting years."
Solberg would not comment on who would take over the position of Norway's foreign minister when he leaves the post mid-October.
Brende will work with Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, the Swiss nonprofit foundation said in a statement.
Schwab remains responsible for the overall strategic development of the World Economic Forum, while Brende will chair the managing board, which has collective responsibility for the execution of the foundation's strategies and activities.
Brende was managing director of the World Economic Forum from 2008 to 2009, and was in charge of relations with governments and civil society. In 2011 to 2013, he worked at the foundation again as managing director in policy initiatives and engagement of the forum's non-business constituents.
The World Economic Forum is best known for its annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, Switzerland, which brings together thousands of political and business leaders, experts and society leaders to discuss major global challenges, such as poverty, conflicts, climate change and economic development. Enditem
