The Council of the European Union (EU) has appointed Finnish diplomat Terhi Hakala to serve as the EU Special Representative (EUSR) for Central Asia, starting July 1 2021.
The EUSRs work under the authority of High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell and support his work in the implementation of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland said in its Monday press release.
The Foreign Ministry said that in the duties of the EUSR for Central Asia, the focus is on the EU's continued and comprehensive cooperation with countries in the region Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzystan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The cooperation covers a broad range of areas, including security, the rule of law, environment, water, climate change, education, and human rights.
In line with the European Union Strategy for Central Asia, it is also important to promote the development of the business environment and to stimulate investments as well as to foster sustainable connectivity, according to the statement. The importance of the Strategy for Central Asia is growing also because of neighbouring Afghanistan.
Terhi Hakala presently serves as Ambassador for Hybrid Threats in the Political Department of the Foreign Ministry of Finland. She previously held different diplomatic posts, including Head of Finland's Permanent Mission in Geneva, finnish Ambassador to India, Head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Georgia.