New Delhi: Hemant H Kotalwar, who is presently India's Ambassador to the Czech Republic, has been appointed as the next Ambassador to Finland, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

Kotalwar is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer from the 1996 batch.

He is expected to take up the assignment shortly, according to MEA.

Last month, the 12th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Finland was held in New Delhi.

During the FOC, both sides reviewed the bilateral relations between both nations, including political engagements, trade and investments, education, digital partnerships, sustainability partnerships, mobility, cultural relations and people-to-people contacts.

The meeting also focused on multilateral cooperation, including the Arctic and the reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

India and Finland enjoy close and friendly relations and have regular exchanges at both political and official levels. 2024 will be the 75th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and both sides decided to celebrate it in a befitting manner.

Earlier, the Ambassador of Finland to India, Kimmo Lahdevirta, said that over the decades, both India and Finland have seen a significant deepening of the relationship in different sectors, including trade, technology, education and culture.

He further expressed hope for the growing relationship between the two countries in terms of technology.