Government of Finland

04/24/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/24/2026 02:45

New Heads of Mission appointed to Prague and the Hague

New Heads of Mission appointed to Prague and the Hague

Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Publication date 24.4.2026 11.36 | Published in English on 24.4.2026 at 11.40
Type:Press release

At the presidential session on Friday 24 April, the President of the Republic appointed Jouni Laaksonen to serve as Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Prague and Mikael Antell to serve as Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in the Hague, starting on 1 September 2026.

Embassy of Finland in Prague, Czechia

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Jouni Laaksonen to serve as Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in Prague, starting on 1 September 2026.

Jouni Laaksonen. Photo: MFA/Sanna Käsmä

Laaksonen will transfer to the post from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where he has served as Head of the Task Force for the Finnish OSCE Chairpersonship at the Political Department since June 2023. Previously, Laaksonen has served as Deputy Permanent Representative and Ambassador at the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN and as Deputy Head of Mission in Stockholm, Ankara and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the OSCE in Vienna.

At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Laaksonen has held positions at the Political Department, the Unit for Policy Planning and Research and the Department for Europe.

Laaksonen holds a Master's degree in Political Science. He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1997.

Embassy of Finland in The Hague, Netherlands

The President of the Republic has appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Mikael Antell to serve as Head of Mission at Finland's Embassy in the Hague, starting on 1 September 2026.

Mikael Antell. Photo: MFA/Sanna Käsmä

Antell siirtyy Alankomaihin poliittisen osaston apulaisosastopäällikön tehtävästä, jossa hän on työskennellyt vuodesta 2022.

Antell will transfer to the post from the Ministry's Political Department, where he has served as Deputy Director General since 2022.

Antell has served as Finland's Ambassador to Oslo. His career in the diplomatic service also includes posts in the Finnish Embassies in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Santiago de Chile.

Antell has previously worked at the Department for Europe, the Secretariat for EU Affairs and the Unit for Asia and Oceania.

Antell holds a Master's degree in Political Science. He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1998.

Inquiries

  • Niina Pesonen, Director of Human Resources, Human Resources Unit, tel. +358 295 350 082
  • The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format [email protected]
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