Above: Helsinki (Photo: VH)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Finland has named its new Ambassador to the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.

Kim Luotonen, the country’s new envoy to the sub-regional integration body, presented his credentials to OECS Director General Dr Didacus Jules last week.

Luotonen said that “in a world where interdependence is constantly increasing, and where global challenges require common efforts, the OECS is a good example of the importance of cooperating and working together to advance the interests of a region.”

Finland has a longstanding programme with the Eastern Caribbean in the area of meteorology, both in terms of capacity building and the provision of equipment.

Jules said he hoped to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the areas of climate change and oceans governance, “which are among the major challenges to be addressed in the region’s quest for sustainable development.”

For his part, Jules said he would have the “fullest support” of the OECS Commission in advancing cooperation with Finland.

Luotonen most recently served as Finland’s Ambassador to South Korea; he had previously served as the country’s Ambassador to Singapore.