RIYADH: The new Finnish ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Antti Rytovuori, praised the friendly relations between the two countries as he began his assignment in Riyadh, and expressed his hopes to further bolster bilateral ties.
“I was appointed as the new ambassador of Finland to Saudi Arabia last month,” he said. “My first two weeks in Riyadh have been very busy and I am extremely glad to witness the strong ties between Finland and Saudi Arabia in many sectors.”
Rytovuori added that health and education are the main areas in which the nations have focused on increasing ties and cooperation between the administrations, institutions and private enterprises providing specific solutions in their respective sectors.
“We have a lot of potential to learn from each other,” the envoy said, adding that in addition to these two emerging sectors, Finland and the Kingdom are engaged in strong, long-term technological cooperation in many other areas, including information and communications technology and machinery, and he looks forward to further enhancing these partnerships.
“After paying a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to present the copies of my credentials,” he added, “I have received my first ministerial visit from Finland, when Finnish Minister of Health Pirkko Mattila visited the Kingdom in mid-September.” She was accompanied by a commercial delegation representing 15 heath-sector companies to bolster cooperation.
Rytovuori was born on Feb. 9, 1960, in Helsinki, and has a master’s degree in economics, a diploma in international trade, and is an alumnus of the Reserve Officer School.
Before coming to Riyadh he was an assistant trade commissioner in the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles, an attache at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, second secretary at the embassy in Beijing, first secretary at the permanent mission in Geneva, a counsellor in the Asia and Oceania unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, director of the personnel planning unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ambassador in Rabat, Morocco, minister and deputy permanent representative at the permanent mission in Geneva and deputy inspector-general in the unit for internal audit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
