New Heads of Mission appointed to Riyadh, Jakarta and Finland’s Permanent Mission to the UN; Deputy Director General appointed to Foreign Ministry’s Legal Service and[...]

New Heads of Mission appointed to Riyadh, Jakarta and Finland's Permanent Mission to the UN; Deputy Director General appointed to Foreign Ministry's Legal Service and non-resident Ambassadors to five countries

At the presidential session on Friday 14 August, the President of the Republic appointed Jukka Pajarinen Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Riyadh, Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Jakarta and Janne Taalas Head of Finland's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. Pajarinen and Suomela-Chowdhury will take up their posts on 1 September and Taalas on 1 November 2026. At its session on Thursday 13 August, the Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Sami Leino to the post of Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry's Legal Service for a fixed term from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2030.

Embassy of Finland in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

At its session on 13 August, the Government promoted Counsellor Jukka Pajarinen to the public office of Counsellor for Foreign Affairs, starting on 1 September 2026. The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Jukka Pajarinen to serve as Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Riyadh, starting on 1 September 2026.

Jukka Pajarinen (photo: Ministry for Foreign Affairs)

Pajarinen will transfer to Saudi Arabia from his current post as Director of the Unit for Eastern and Southern Africa, which he has held since 2022. In the diplomatic service, he has held posts in Finland's Embassies in London, Addis Abeba, Tokyo and Kyiv.

At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Pajarinen has worked, among others, at the Unit for Arms Control.

Pajarinen holds a Master of Social Sciences degree. In 2021-2023 he completed a master's programme in peace mediation at the ETH Zurich University. Pajarinen joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2005.

Embassy of Finland in Jakarta, Indonesia

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury to serve as Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Jakarta, starting on 1 September 2026.

Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury (photo: Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury)

Suomela-Chowdhury is currently Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry's Department for Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. She has previously served as Head of Mission at Finland's Embassies in Lusaka and Abuja and has held posts in the Embassies in Santiago de Chile and Beijing.

She has also served at the Foreign Ministry as Director of the Unit for Southern and Western Africa and the Unit for UN Development Issues and worked at the Political Department.

Suomela-Chowdhury holds the degree of Master of Social Sciences. She joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1997.

Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations (UN), New York

The President of the Republic has appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Janne Taalas as Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations in New York with effect from 1 November 2026.

Janne Taalas (photo: Ministry for Foreign Affairs)

Taalas will move to New York from his current position as the CEO of CMI - Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, a post he has held since 2021. He has previously served as Ambassador in Rome and has held postings at the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in New York and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the OSCE in Vienna.

Taalas has held several positions at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He has served as Special Envoy for the 2020 Afghanistan Conference and as Ambassador for Cyber Diplomacy. He has also worked at the Unit for Policy Planning and Research, the Task Force for Finland's OSCE Chairpersonship, the Political Department and the Department for International Trade.

Taalas holds a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil, Oxon) and Master's degrees in Social Sciences and Economics. He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1997 and has been on leave of absence since 2021.

Deputy Director General, Legal Service

The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Sami Leino to serve as Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry's Legal Service for a fixed term from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2030.

Sami Leino (photo: Ministry for Foreign Affairs)

Sami Leino will transfer to the Legal Service from his current position as Ambassador responsible for the reform of the Foreign Service and the development of its practices. Prior to this, Leino served as Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. His career in the diplomatic service also includes posts in the Hague, Finland's Mission to NATO in Brussels, Moscow and Finland's Permanent Mission to the OSCE in Vienna.

At the Foreign Ministry, Leino's posts have included Director of Unit at the Department for Asia and Oceania and Adviser to the Permanent State Secretary.

Leino holds a Master of Laws degree. He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2000.

Embassy of Finland in Buenos Aires, Argentina (non-resident Ambassador to Uruguay and Paraguay)

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Veikko Kiljunen to serve as a non-resident Ambassador to Uruguay and Paraguay. He has been appointed Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Buenos Aires as of 1 September 2026.

Embassy of Finland in Prague, Czechia (non-resident Ambassador to Slovakia)

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Jouni Laaksonen to serve as a non-resident Ambassador to Slovakia. He has been appointed Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Prague as of 1 September 2026.

Embassy of Finland in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia (non-resident Ambassador to South Sudan)

The President of the Republic appointed First Secretary Erik Lundberg to serve as a non-resident Ambassador to South Sudan. He has been appointed Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Addis Abeba as of 1 September 2026.

Embassy of Finland in Brussels, Belgium (non-resident Ambassador to Luxembourg)

The President of the Republic appointed First Secretary Jari Sinkari to serve as a non-resident Ambassador to Luxembourg. He has been appointed Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Brussels as of 1 September 2026.