Yuhani Vyaanyanen Consul General of Finland in St. Petersburg Date of Birth: 23.06.1948 Country: Finland

Biography of Juha Väyrynen

Juha Väyrynen was born on June 23, 1948, in Kuopio, Finland. He began his diplomatic career in the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973. After working as an attaché at the Finnish Embassy in Moscow from 1978 to 1981, he served as the First Secretary at the Finnish Embassy in Oslo from 1981 to 1984.

From 1984 to 1988, Väyrynen held the position of First Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Helsinki. He then became the Chief of the Secretariat of the Finnish Security Police from 1989 to 1994. In 1994, he joined the Administration of the European Union in Mostar, former Yugoslavia, as a Political Affairs Advisor.

Väyrynen continued his diplomatic career by serving as a Political Affairs Advisor at the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1998 to 1999. He then became a Senior Advisor on Political Affairs at the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1999 to 2000. In the same year, he was appointed as the Chief of the Department for Western Balkans Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Helsinki.

In 2000, Väyrynen assumed the role of the Consul General of Finland in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he served until 2005. He has been married to Raya Tikkakoski-Väyrynen since February 1, 2005.

Juha Väyrynen graduated from the University of Tampere with a degree in Social Sciences in 1976.