Antti Turunen appointed UN Representative to Georgia
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Ambassador Antti Turunen to be the new UN Representative for Georgia. Turunen will work to resolve the conflicts in Georgia together with the EU and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Turunen’s task will be to maintain contacts with the parties to the conflict and other stakeholder countries central to the crisis in Georgia.
Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb considers the appointment to be extremely important. “This is a fine day for Finland,” Stubb said at the press conference on 1 March. “The post in question is the highest office in the UN now held by a Finn.”
Prior to this appointment, Turunen worked as Head of the Permanent Mission of Finland to the OSCE in Vienna since 2007. He chaired the Permanent Council of the OSCE during Finland’s Chairmanship year in 2008.
“Finland handled the OSCE Chairmanship year in 2008 as well as possible. I believe that this had an impact on the appointment decision,” Turunen stated.
According to Stubb, this appointment is a show of confidence in Finland, as it had to be approved by, among others, Russia and the United States. “Finland handled the OSCE Chairmanship in an exemplary way, but in the end, it is a question of individuals. Turunen is one of our best diplomats.”
As the UN Representative, Turunen leads a task force dealing with the security issues linked to the crisis. “The next round of talks will take place on 30 March. I will take up the work actively as from mid-March,” Turunen said.
The UN had to disband its peacekeeping mission in Georgia in consequence of the war in Georgia in summer 2009, but the organisation still has a strong position in the South Caucasus.