New Roving Ambassador to South Asia and side-accreditation to Laos

On 12 January 2018, the President of the Republic decided to appoint Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Harri Kämäräinen to serve as Finland’s official representative, based in Helsinki, to South Asia. The district assigned to the post covers Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Kämäräinen will start in the position on 1 February 2018.

Harri Kämäräinen is currently Senior Adviser in the Unit for South Asia. From 2012 to 2017, he served as Finland’s Ambassador in Tehran.

Kämäräinen has also worked in the Embassies of Finland in Warsaw and Riga and in Finland's Permanent Mission to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and in the Mission of Finland to NATO in Brussels.

In the Ministry, he has worked as Director of the Unit for Eastern Europe and Central Asia and held posts in the Department for External Economic Relations.

Kämäräinen has gained experience of international positions while working in the OSCE Secretariat and as Adviser to the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus.

Kämäräinen joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1987.

In addition, the President of the Republic authorised Kari Kahiluoto, Ambassador of Finland to Vietnam, to represent Finland also in Laos.

Inquiries: Pirjo Tulokas, Deputy Director General for Personnel, tel. +358 295 351 413.