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On Friday, 2 March, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, addressed the participants of the interparliamentary conference “Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine: Eastern Partnership and Current Security Challenges” in Chisinau, Moldova, pointing out that the transatlantic community must strengthen its cooperation and work even closer with the Eastern Partnership countries to counter the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns.

“The important thing is that that we are aware of the scale of the threats and that we are starting to work together. The resilience of our countries against cyber-threats is being actively improved at the level of the EU and NATO. Strategic communication and media literacy are also among the priorities of the Eastern Partnership”, said Mūrniece.  

Strategic communication, as well as exchange of expertise and experience between the partnership countries play a crucial role in countering disinformation. For instance, the NATO StratCom Centre of Excellence in Riga provides training to experts from Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine.

Speaker Mūrniece underlined the importance of consistently strengthening media independence and the media literacy of the general public, especially in light of disinformation being used for spreading fear and confusion, which must be countered with the ability to critically assess the news provided by the media.

“It is equally important to combat corruption, thus promoting the resilience of our countries to counter the disinformation campaigns proliferated by Russia. By combating corruption, we disrupt the networks of Russia’s influence. Parliaments play a crucial role in fortifying democracy and the rule of law”, said Mūrniece.

Speaker Mūrniece was invited to the conference by the speakers of the Georgian, Moldovan and Ukrainian Parliaments, and she gave a speech at the panel dedicated to the fight against disinformation and propaganda. The conference also covers such topics as energy security, economic reforms, and strengthening of the rule of law in the Eastern Partnership countries.

Speaker Mūrniece, together with the speakers of the Georgian, Moldovan and Ukrainian Parliaments, as well as representatives of the Polish, Czech and Lithuanian Parliaments, also participated in a flower-laying ceremony at the monument dedicated to the fighters for the territorial integrity of Moldova.

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Saeima Press Service