Stockholm seminar discusses information challenges in Eastern Europe

The seminar, which was organized by Lithuanian and Latvian embassies together with Swedish non-governmental organization “Society and Defence” (“Folk och Försvar”), was attended by high number of information experts, politicians, diplomats, public authorities and the media.

Ambassador Jānis Kārkliņš, director of NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga, introduced the subject – communication and information used and deployed as a strategic tool.

Members of Swedish parliamentary Defense Committee – Jan R. Andersson, the Moderate Party, and Jakop Dalunde, the Green Party – also attending seminar, presented a political approach to informational threats.

Mikael Tofvesson, Head of Global Monitoring and Analysis Section, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, presented the agency’s views and position on the information influence campaigns.

The media was represented by one of Sweden’s largest daily newspapers and online publications “Aftonbladet” political analyst Anders Lindberg who reviewed the role of media in information operations.

On the eve of the seminar, 18 May, at the invitation of Lithuanian Embassy in Stockholm, Dr. Maliukevičius introduced the topic “Tools of Destabilization: Russian Non-military Influence in the Baltic States” at the seminar “Economic developments in the East and the West and their effects on Baltic countries” organized by the Lithuanian business club in Stockholm, in cooperation with Estonian-Swedish Chamber of Commerce (ESCC) and Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA).

At the event which took place at the in Embassy of Latvia in Stockholm, Mārtiņš Kazāks, Swedbank (Latvia), chief economist, Tõnu Mertsina, Swedbank (Estonia), chief economist, and Nerijus Mačiulis, Swedbank (Lithuania), chief economist, also discussed about the economic situation in Europe and Russia.