Finnish Foreign Ministry supports the Rudolf Holsti Professorship of Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas

Press release 100/2017
29 May 2017

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted EUR 20,000 to the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania, to fund the Rudolf Holsti Professorship in the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy. It is a one-off grant.

On 16 May 2017 the Vytautas Magnus University appointed as the Rudolf Holsti Professor Ambassador Emeritus Alpo Rusi, Adjunct Professor at the University of Helsinki, who has acted as a visiting professor at the university since March 2016.

As Baltic Sea States, Finland and Lithuania have common interests in EU and security policies. The Rudolf Holsti Professorship can help promote shared understanding of the region’s current and future challenges. It can also contribute to closer collaboration between universities in Finland and Lithuania.

“Ambassador Rusi has had a long and distinguished career in the service of Finland both in the Foreign Service and international positions. His appointment as the Rudolf Holsti Professor in Kaunas is a solemn step for both Finland and Lithuania,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini says.

The professorship will also increase awareness of Rudolf Holsti (1881–1945) and his life’s work. Holsti was Foreign Minister in the early years of Finland's independence from 1919 to 1922 and during the difficult years from 1936 to 1938. He also worked as Special Envoy in the League of Nations, Riga, Bern and Tallinn.

Inquiries: Jussi Tanner, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 663.

The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format [email protected]