New Deputy Directors General to Political Department and Legal Service

At its session on 27 September, the Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Tanja Jääskeläinen to the position of Deputy Director General of the Political Department for a fixed term from 1 October 2018 to 31 August 2022. Likewise, the Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Anu Saarela to the position of Deputy Director General of the Legal Service for a fixed term from 1 January 2019 to 31 August 2023.

Tanja Jääskeläinen will transfer to the Political Department from the Unit for the Middle East and North Africa, where she has worked as Senior Adviser since 2017. Before that, she served as Head of Mission at the Finnish Embassy in Tunis in 2013–2017. Jääskeläinen has also served at the Embassies of Finland in London (2009–2013), Damascus (2001–2003) and Budapest (1996–2000).

At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, she has worked as Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2007–2009.

Jääskeläinen holds degrees of Master of Social Sciences and Master of Arts.

Anu Saarela will transfer to the Legal Service from the Finnish Embassy in Tel Aviv, where she has served as Head of Mission since 2016.  Before that, she served as Head of Mission at the Finnish Embassy in Nicosia in 2012–2016. During her long and varied career, Saarela has also worked at the Finnish Embassies in Tokyo, Stockholm, Washington D.C., Lagos and Berlin, among others. At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, she has served as Director of the Unit for Public International Law in 2009–2012 and in many other positions at different departments since 1987.

Saarela holds degrees of Master of Laws and Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration.

 

Inquiries: Pirjo Tulokas, Deputy Director General for Human Resources, tel. + 358 0295 351 413. The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.