The President of the Republic made the following appointments on 24 June:
Counsellor of Foreign Affairs Alpo Rusi, DSSc, is appointed to serve as Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia (FYROM), based in Helsinki, as from 25 June 2004. Dr Rusi’s career in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs started in 1973, and he has worked in the Consulate-General in Hamburg, the Embassy in Copenhagen and the Embassy of Bonn and in the Finnish Mission to the UN in New York. In the ministry, Dr Rusi has worked as Director of the Planning and Research Division of the Political Department, Director of the Division for Nordic and other Western Countries, Consulting Counsellor of European Affairs and, since 2003, Counsellor of Foreign Affairs in the Department for Europe, Unit for Western Balkans. In the years from 1994 to 1999, he served as Political Adviser to the President of the Republic and, in the years from 1999 to 2000, as Deputy Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for Western Balkans. At the beginning of the 21st century, Dr Rusi was employed as Professor of International Relations in the University of Lapland.
Counsellor (since 1 July 2004 Counsellor of Foreign Affairs) Terhi Hakala is appointed to serve as Ambassador to Armenia and Azerbaijan, based in Helsinki, as from 1 September 2004. Ms Hakala entered the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1988 and has served in the Consulate in Leningrad/St Petersburg and the Embassy in Moscow and in the Permanent Mission of Finland to the OSCE. She has also been involved in the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Sandjak and Vojvodina, and in the peace negotiations concerning Nagorno-Karabakh in the framework of the Minsk Process under the auspices of the OSCE. In the ministry, Ms Hakala has worked as EU Coordinator in the Division for Europe and, since 2001, as Director of the Unit for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Counsellor for Development Cooperation Marja-Liisa Kiljunen is appointed to serve as Ambassador to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, based in Helsinki, as from 1 November 2004. Ms Kiljunen entered the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1983. She has served in the Finnish Embassy in Nairobi and in the ministry her assignments have included positions related to international organisations and training in the Department for International Development Cooperation. She has also worked as Director of the Unit for EU Coordination. Ms Kiljunen has been Finland’s representative in the Committee of Senior Officials of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and been in charge of various tasks in the Unit for the Northern Dimension of the Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Ministry. In addition, Ms Kiljunen has worked in the UN University of World Institute of Development Economics Research (WIDER), in the UNICEF Headquarters in New York and as Executive Director of the Finnish UN Association and as Secretary General of Social Democratic Women in Finland.
