Thirty years ago today, on December 19, 1995 (October 28, 1995 lunar calendar), Solana officially took office as NATO Secretary-General. Solana On December 19, 1995, former Spanish Foreign Minister Javier Solana officially took office as NATO's new Secretary-General at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Speaking to the press, Solana stressed that NATO "is an irreplaceable element of the new European security landscape" and that NATO "should continue to unite Europe and North America in an indivisible transatlantic security community." He said that ensuring the security of member states will continue to be NATO's top priority. In addition, NATO has the following "four tasks": first, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains an urgent priority goal; second, NATO has broader strategic interests, chief among which is "stable eastward extension" to "build a more integrated and unified Europe". In addition, the "Partnership for Peace" will be strengthened; third, efforts will be made to build strong relations with Russia; and fourth, efforts will be made to reform NATO to adapt its internal institutions to Europe's growing defense and security responsibilities.