Aarno Yrjö-Koskinen

The Soviet–Finnish Non-Aggression Pact signed in Helsinki on 21 January 1932. On the left the Finnish foreign minister Aarno Yrjö-Koskinen, and on the right the Ambassador of the Soviet Union in Helsinki Ivan Maisky.^[1]

Aarno Armas Sakari Yrjö-Koskinen (9 December 1885, Helsinki – 8 June 1951, Helsinki)^[2] was a Finnish politician, ambassador and freiherr. He graduated as jurist and received the title varatuomari in 1915.

After the Finnish independence in 1917, Yrjö-Koskinen served under the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as Chief of political division from 1924 and Chief of staff from 1929. He worked as an ambassador in Moscow between 1 January 1931 and 8 April 1940 .

Yrjö-Koskinen also served as the Finnish Foreign Minister between 21 March 1931 and 14 December 1932. During his ministry Yrjö-Koskinen signed on behalf of Finland the Soviet–Finnish Non-Aggression Pact with the Soviet Union. At beginning of the Winter War he moved from Moscow to the Finnish embassy in Ankara. Yrjö-Koskinen served in Turkey till 1950, and yet a small time in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Yrjö-Koskinen's father was the Finnish senator Yrjö Yrjö-Koskinen and grandfather was senator and historian Yrjö Koskinen.

References

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