Anna Kotaviita appointed as Press Officer in St Petersburg

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has appointed Anna Kotaviita as Press Officer at the Consulate General of Finland in St Petersburg for a three-year term. Kotaviita will assume her duties in St Petersburg on 30 March 2021.

Anna Kotaviita. Photo: Gilda Saarinen

Kotaviita will move to St Petersburg from the Criminal Sanctions Agency, where she has been Communications Specialist. Previously, she has held various positions relating to communication, for example, at the Kalliola Adult Education Centre, the Union of the Baltic Cities and Cultura Foundation. She has worked earlier at the Consulate General in St Petersburg as a visa official and as a trainee at the Consulate General’s Murmansk Office. Kotaviita holds the Master of Arts degree. She has a further vocational qualification in audiovisual communication.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to promote Finland's visibility in cooperation with expert professionals in St Petersburg, which is my favourite city. Reliable and timely official communication about COVID-19 is important and, in the coming months, this will be underscored also in my work as Press Officer. Cross-border cooperation and new forms of interaction are significant just now, because people miss experiences relating to culture, social relations and, for example, travel.

The Press Officer’s duty is to advance Finland's objectives in St Petersburg and North-West Russia through communication and country branding. The main responsibilities are to strengthen Finland's visibility and develop networks and relations between Finland and Russia.

Inquiries: Johanna Kotkajärvi, Deputy Director General, Department for Communications, tel. +358 295 351 351 and Anna Kotaviita, tel. +7 921 742 6733. The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format [email protected].