Finland Times

 

Peter Stenlund (left) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Affairs, Head of Unit, Teemu Turunen. Photo Lehtikuva

Under-Secretary of State Peter Stenlund will assume the position of Secretary of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in March next year.  

 

The government on Thursday decided to appoint Stenlund in the position for the fixed term of March 1, 2014 to February 28, 2018, said a press release.

 

The Secretary of State serves as the highest permanent civil servant of the ministryand is responsible for the activities and finances of both the ministry and the diplomatic missions.

 

Stenlund has been transferred to the position of Secretary of State from the position of Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs where he has been responsible for the Ministry's internal and external services including citizen, legal services and protocol services and the administration since 2010. 

 

Stenlund would replace Pertti Torstila, the current Secretary of State. Torstila will retire at the end of February 2014.

 

Stenlund previously worked within the ministry as the head of the Secretariat for Nordic Cooperation, deputy for the Minister for Nordic Cooperation in 1996-1998, and as consulting counsellor with responsibility for the Northern Dimension and the Arctic Council in 1998-2003.

 

In the Finnish diplomatic missions, Stenlund served as the ambassador of Finland to Norway from 2006-2010 and as a minister at the Embassy of Finland in Sweden from 2003-2005.

 

Prior to joining the foreign ministry, Stenlund held various positions as a journalist and information officer at Svensk Presstjänst and the Swedish People's Party.  

 

From 1981 to 1995, he served as the secretary of the Swedish People's Party. In 1995, Stenlund worked as an adviser to the minister for European affairs in the Prime Minister's Office, according to the release.  

 

Stenlund holds a Master's degree in Political Sciences.