Finland, US sign MoU on countering foreign state info manipulation

Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and her US counterpart Antony Blinken on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on countering foreign state information manipulation.

The MoU was signed at the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a press release.

With the MoU, Finland and the United States reaffirm their shared understanding of the importance of countering information manipulation and of the key best practices.

“Finland has long contributed to countering harmful information influence activities both nationally and as part of its foreign and security policy. As foreign information manipulation and state-sponsored disinformation know no boundaries, we need international cooperation to minimise their harmful effects. The United States has a key role in the cooperation of democratic states to tackle foreign information manipulation as a part of our work in protecting the freedom of speech, which is a fundamental right in our societies,” said Valtonen.

The MoU expresses the political will of its parties. It is not legally binding, the press release added.