There is a lot of propaganda and disinformation in Latvia as well and, to combat this phenomenon, StratCom, the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence, was set up in the country, Latvia’s Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova Edgars Bondars stated in a public debate hosted by IPN News Agency. The Latvian diplomat said that in order to cope with the phenomenon of propaganda and distinguish false information from truth, it is necessary to increase people’s level of education and develop critical thinking.
Edgars Bondars noted that, in the context of the war in Ukraine, his country has a feeling of safety due to NATO membership. Also, the Latvians are ready to protect their country from a possible invasion, which is proven by the large number of volunteers who enlist in the Latvian National Guard.
“Latvia, as a NATO member, acts differently and there are differences in the perception of safety as well. There is a greater perception of safety due to the fact that we are part of NATO. In Latvia, we devote greater attention to the increase in the percentage of GDP allocated to defense. We also seek to explain to the population the global situation is and what we can do. What each citizen can do individually. In Latvia, we have the National Guard, which is a popular military entity, but which is voluntary. It was created in 1990 and when the Russian military aggression in Ukraine began, many people enlisted in the National Guard. It is a good indicator of the perception of the people of Latvia towards this war. There is a desire of the people to protect themselves and not to allow the scenario of 1940 when, allegedly, we did not oppose the occupation aggression on the part of the Soviet Union,” said the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Republic of Moldova.
The Latvian diplomat noted that since the declaration of independence, his country has been facing propaganda and disinformation. In this connection, the authorities in Riga decided to create the NATO Strategic Communication Center and many journalists work constantly to combat fake news generated by the Russian Federation.
“We feel the elements and risks of hybrid war permanently, right from the moment of the declaration of Independence. We have a lot of misinformation and lies. In Latvia, have the StratCom center, the NATO Strategic Communications Center that deals with the exposure and combating of false information. We have many journalists working to counter disinformation. We have social networks where information appears quickly and the people discuss it. There are different opinions, but critical thinking is still the most important element to understand things. If a person is educated and has critical thinking, he/she can quickly distinguish false information from truth,” said Edgars Bondars.
The Latvian diplomat also said that the decision concerning the possible entry into NATO belongs to the citizens, but this decision must be based on knowledge of the geopolitical realities.
“Why should we fear the NATO enlargement if this is what the country wants? There is always diplomacy, there is dialogue, there are non-military solutions. I believe that the people must decide the course of a country. But for the purpose, the people need to have an objective point of view, to be aware of the realities so that they can decide. This requires education, knowledge and critical thinking,” concluded Ambassador Edgars Bondars.
The public debate entitled “How can small countries defend themselves?” was is the 311th installment of the series “Developing political culture through public debates”, which is carried out by IPN News Agency with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
