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Poland, US agree to counter 'foreign state information manipulation'

13.06.2024 09:00
Poland and the United States say they have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation on countering "foreign state information manipulation."
Photo:
Photo:PAP/Darek Delmanowicz

The document, signed earlier this week by the Polish foreign minister’s Plenipotentiary for Countering International Disinformation, Tomasz Chłoń, and the US Special Envoy and Coordinator for the Global Engagement Center, James P. Rubin, "signifies the sense of urgency both the United States and Poland place on increasing efforts to jointly counter foreign disinformation and propaganda by strengthening government and societal resiliency to its effects," according to an announcement.

Through this agreement, Poland and the United States "intend to enhance information sharing on the threat posed by foreign information manipulation" and "expand capacity for counter-disinformation programming," according to the US Department of State.

The Polish foreign ministry said in an X post that the initiative "will strengthen our actions against international disinformation in the global media environment."

Poland, the United States and 17 other countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and North America have endorsed a Framework to Counter Foreign State Information Manipulation and aim to work together to advance their "shared commitment to combatting harmful information manipulation by foreign actors," the US Department of State said.

Poland, US launch new Ukraine Communications Group

Poland and the United States have also launched a new Ukraine Communications Group (UCG) based in Warsaw to support Ukraine against Russia’s aggression in the information space.

The Polish and US governments said on June 10 that the "UCG will bring together like-minded partner governments to coordinate messaging, promote accurate reporting of Russia’s full-scale invasion, amplify Ukrainian voices, and expose Kremlin information manipulation."

They added that "representatives from participating countries will begin collaborating in person to support Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity through collaborative efforts to counter disinformation and support fact-based reporting."

The two countries said in a joinstatement that the Kremlin "repeatedly uses lies and manipulation to peddle false pretexts for its unjustifiable invasion, obfuscate its war aims, and attempt to fracture worldwide solidarity with the Ukrainian people."

The statement added that the UCG "is designed to counter these deceptive narratives and reinforce honest coverage of Ukraine’s resilience and bravery in the face of Russia’s aggression."

The US Department of State said on its website that the United States, "in partnership with the broad coalition of countries supporting Ukraine, has worked to expose purveyors of Kremlin disinformation since before the full-scale invasion.  The UCG is an extension of these efforts and offers another tool for like-minded countries to support Ukraine and protect the integrity of the global information space."

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Source: PAPstate.gov/state.gov