20 January 2017, the Minister of information policy of Ukraine Yurii Stets made a working visit to the NATO HQ in Brussels.
The main purpose of the visit was to inform the allies about the main results regarding the implementation of the Strategic Communications Partnership Road Map and progress in the development of StratCom in our country.
The composition of the Ukrainian delegation also included Alina Frolova, the Minister’s Advisor for strategic communications.
During the visit, the Minister took part in the meeting of the Commission Ukraine-NATO at the level of the Partnerships and Cooperative Security Committee, and also held meetings with Tacan Ildem, the Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, as well as with the Chargé d’Affaires of the USA in NATO, and Permanent Representatives of Lithuania and the Great Britain in NATO.
During the meeting of CUN, the Ukrainian side reported on progress in the development of the state strategic communications system and presented a plan of work in this area in 2017.
According to the Minister, a qualitative interaction with the NATO member countries will enhance the voice of Ukraine in the world, will allow avoiding mistakes, the price of which is often a human life under modern terms.
“Ukraine suffers most from the latest methods of war, which are applied by Russia. The weakness of state communications makes us extremely vulnerable and poses a threat to our partners. We have to catch up with the whole civilized world in the skill and ability to convey our own position to people, both inside the country and abroad. All Ukraine’s efforts are aimed at the development of strategic communications system. We need the assistance of the Alliance regarding this matter”, – said during the meeting the Minister.
During the bilateral meetings of the Minister with representatives of the USA, Lithuania and the UK in NATO Yurii Stets said: “The world has faced with a hybrid war which has completely changed the rules of cooperation in information space. The information component has become one of the key components in security and development of any state. All of us will have to establish new rules and approaches, to implement them in the new laws, to form a radically new frame of reality”.
In addition, during the working visit, the parties exchanged opinions on the further development of the state strategic communications system, Partnerships maps in the field of strategic communications between NATO and Ukraine and steps to counter modern information challenges.
