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Javier Solana

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description Javier Solana Overview

Javier Solana is a Spanish physicist and politician who held prominent leadership roles in European and international diplomacy. He served as Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs before being appointed Secretary General of NATO from 1995 to 1999. Subsequently, he acted as the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy for a decade, helping to establish the EU's diplomatic framework. Solana's career is of major interest to observers of post-Cold War European security and multilateral foreign policy.

help Javier Solana FAQ

What did Javier Solana study before entering Spanish politics?

He trained as a physicist and became a professor of solid-state physics before serving in the Spanish government. NATO records that he was born in Madrid in 1942 and entered parliament in 1977. [NATO biography](https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/who_is_who_7323.htm)

When was Javier Solana Secretary General of NATO?

Solana became NATO's ninth Secretary General in December 1995 and left the post in October 1999. He had previously served as Spain's foreign minister from 1992 to 1995.

What European Union role did Javier Solana take after NATO?

After NATO, he became the European Union's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary-General of the Council of the EU. He held those European posts from 1999 until 2009.

What was Javier Solana's role during the Kosovo crisis?

As NATO Secretary General, Solana was the alliance's main political spokesman during the 1999 Kosovo crisis and Operation Allied Force. His role involved coordinating NATO policy and diplomacy rather than commanding individual aircraft or ground units.