Farewell reception for Finnish ambassador

(CS) The international diplomatic corps in Luxembourg hosted a farewell reception for the Finnish and Austrian ambassadors.

The current dean of the diplomatic corps, Polish ambassador Bartosz Jalowiecki, hosted the goodbye event, with Austrian ambassador Thomas Oberreiter and Finnish ambassador Timo Ranta departing from Luxembourg.

Oberreiter has been serving as ambassador to Luxembourg since 2011. Ranta took up his post in September last year. However, in a surprise announcement just a month later, it was revealed that Finland was closing its Luxembourg representation as part of a savings plan before the end of 2015. 

Finland's embassies in Slovakia and Slovenia were also affected by the plan, with August 31 posted as the official closing date on the three embassies' websites. 

It has been confirmed that Ranta will serve as the head of the embassy in Brussels, which will also manage consular services and diplomatic relations with the Grand Duchy, from September 1.

The Finnish embassy was the last Nordic embassy remaining in Luxembourg, after the closure of the Danish representation last year. Denmark continues to operate a consulate in Luxembourg, but the diplomatic mission is run through the embassy in Brussels.