New Ambassadors to Canada, Cyprus and the Philippines

The President of the Republic appointed today, 28 March, the following Ambassadors:

Risto Piipponen Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Risto Piipponen as the Finnish Ambassador to Ottawa, Canada as from 15 August 2008

Piipponen started his career at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1987. He will be transferred to Ottawa from Nicosia, Cyprus where he has been serving as Ambassador since 2004. Piipponen has also served at the Finnish diplomatic missions of Paris, Alger, Canberra, and Finland's Permanent Representation to the EC in Brussels. At the Ministry, Piipponen has worked for the Department for Europe as Director of the Unit for General EU Affairs and Coordination, in 1985 at the Ministry EU Secretariat, the Department for International Development Cooperation and the Department for External Economic Relations. During 1992-1994, Piipponen served at the EFTA Secretariat and the EFTA Surveillance Authority in Geneva and Brussels.

Riitta ReschCounsellor for Foreign Affairs Riitta Resch as the Finnish Ambassador to Nicosia, Cyprus as from 1 September 2008.

Resch, who had entered the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1982, will be transferred to Cyprus from her current post as the Finnish Ambassador to the Philippines. She has also served at Finland's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Finland's Permanent Mission in Geneva and the Finnish Embassies of India and France. At the Ministry, she has worked for the Legal Department, the Department for External Economic Relations, the Political Department, the Protocol Department and the Department for Global Affairs where she served as Director of the Unit for General Global Affairs.

Heikki Hannikainen Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Heikki Hannikainen as the Finnish Ambassador to Manila, the Philippines as from 1 October 2008

Hannikainen, who had entered the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1972, will be transferred to the Philippines from Ramallah where he has been serving as Head of the Representative Office of Finland since 2005. Prior to that, Hannikainen had served as Consul General of the Finnish Mission in Shanghai and worked for the Finnish Embassies of Paris, Copenhagen, Rome, Brazil and Beograd. In Finland, he has worked for the Ministry Protocol Department, the Department for External Economic Relations, the Political Department, and, last, as the Finnish Coordinator of affairs related to the Euromed.