Alpo Rusi


Alpo Rusi served in the Foreign Ministry of Finland in several assignments, and from 1994 to 1999 as foreign policy adviser to the President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari. He also served as EU Coordinator for the Sarajevo Summit 1999 and deputy Coordinator of the Stability Pact for Western Balkans in 1999–2000. He worked as professor of International Relations, 2000–2003, at Lapland University and in Hamburg. Later on 2007-2009 he was senior adviser in the Cabinet staff of the President of the UN General Assembly.
Rusi was from 2009-2014 the ambassador of Finland to Switzerland, with accreditation also to Liechtenstein and the Holy See. Rusi is a recognized scholar in the field of international relations and history of Finland, and has published several books in Finland, and in the United States and Great Britain.
Harvard University invited Rusi to be a Russia Expert at The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies in 2015. Rusi was an MP Candidate for the Centre Party in 2015 parliamentary elections. He was a MEP Candidate in 2004 European Parliament Elections and an MP Candidate in 2007.

Career

In 2002 the Finnish Security Police investigated Alpo Rusi of espionage on behalf of the Stasi between 1969 and 1976. The investigation was leaked to the media on September 10, 2002 and caused a major "trial by media" in Finland. Alpo Rusi was declared innocent by the State Prosecutor on June 11, 2003. Later the same prosecutor told the Helsingin Sanomat that Supo made a mistake by not ending the investigation in January 2003 when it was clear that Alpo Rusi had nothing to do with Stasi or KGB. Alpo Rusi's brother Jukka Rusi had been in contact with the East Germany and the Soviet Union. Rusi took the case to the Court and won major compensations from the state of Finland in 2007.

Publications