NATO expert: Safe and democratic Ukraine key to Euro-Atlantic security
That’s according to Baiba Braže, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, who spoke during the Kyiv Stratcom Forum, the first international forum on strategic communications in Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.
“Safe and democratic Ukraine is a key to Euro-Atlantic security. Thus, NATO has and still stands ready to support you in your reforms, in your endeavors, in your practical steps. We will continue providing continuous support to increase Ukraine's resilience,” the NATO official emphasized.
NATO understands resilience as a country’s ability to recover and deal with crisis and shock, as well as the ability to absorb these crises and shocks and to recover from them, the expert explained, adding she believes this requires, besides a strong military force, a very strong non-government sector, civilian support to the military, and the entire society being engaged in national resilience efforts.
Baiba Braže reiterated NATO’s efforts to implement joint projects with Ukraine on crisis management, strategic communications, capacity building, and resilience capacity building.
It is not just NATO sharing its experience with Ukraine, the official stressed, but also the other way around: Ukraine has shared valuable knowledge and insights with NATO Allies multiple times.
The expert believes that it was a “wonderful decision” to establish the Center for Strategic Communication in Ukraine, and that it will offer positive changes for both sides.
“Today’s event shows us that Ukraine does promote and tells its story to international partners and to the world. And that is the key to the successful strategic communications,” she emphasized. “And we know what a great country Ukraine is. And what a story there is to tell to the world. And that doesn't mean propaganda, that means actually really consciously creating those objectives, having those capabilities, and understanding what exactly we want to do, what Ukraine wants to do, and what story to tell to whom. It has to be credible; it has to be fact-based, and it has to be effective, using all possible stratcom tools.”
As Ukrinform has previously reported, on December 7-8, 2021, Kyiv Stratcom Forum is taking place in the capital of Ukraine. It is the first international forum on strategic communications in Ukraine. Among its participants are NATO and EU diplomats, Ukrainian officials, representatives of Ukrainian civil society organizations specializing in strategic communications and countering disinformation. The Forum has been organized by the Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security.
