Government appoints two new state secretaries

In its plenary session on Thursday 18 April, the Government appointed Pasi Rajala, Master of Social Sciences, and Antti Salminen, Information Systems Auditor, to serve as state secretaries. Pasi Rajala will serve as State Secretary to Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen, and Antti Salminen as State Secretary to Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen and Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman.

Pasi Rajala will take up his post on 25 April, while Antti Salminen will begin on 18 April. The term of the state secretaries is linked to that of the ministers.

Pasi Rajala is transferring to the post of State Secretary from his position as Press Counsellor at the Embassy of Finland in Washington, D.C. Rajala has previously served as Director of Communications at Finnfund, Head of Communications at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development. 

Before his appointment as State Secretary, Antti Salminen worked as a project coordinator for the Finns Party. He has held a variety of positions in information security, including at KONE Corporation, Oy Samlink AB and Etera Mutual Pension Insurance Company.

State secretaries to ministers assist the ministers in matters relating to political steering and preparatory work. They also assist and represent the ministers in drafting policy outlines and coordinating interministerial matters, harmonising policy positions, implementing the Government Programme in the minister's administrative branch, and handling EU and international affairs.

Inquiries: Ritva Järvinen, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 160 366, Prime Minister’s Office