NATO Secretary General Javier Solana arrives for his first day at NATO | 19 DEC 1995

Dr Javier Solana arrives for the first time at NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, as Secretary General of the Alliance on 19 December 1995. He is greeted by Deputy Secretary General, Sergio Balanzino, and gives a short speech with Spokesperson Jamie Shea by his side.
In his speech, Javier Solana outlines NATO’s four main tasks: Bosnia and Herzegovina, enlargement and strengthening partnerships (Partnership for Peace), building a stronger relationship with Russia, and the transformation of NATO with, for instance, the creation of the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) concept for a greater role of European Allies within the Alliance.
Javier Solana became the 9th Secretary General in December 1995 at a crucial time for the Organization. NATO had just completed its first use of military force in Bosnia and tensions ran high in the region. The Partnership for Peace programme was still in its infancy and there were talks of expanding NATO membership. Yet, Solana demonstrated he had the skills to steer NATO through these turbulent times. Within days of taking up his responsibilities, NATO deployed its first peace-keeping mission since the end of the Cold War - the NATO-led multinational Implementation Force (IFOR) in Bosnia.
Dr Javier Solana was NATO Secretary General from December 1995 to October 1999.
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