– Undue information influence and disinformation spread by foreign powers pose threats to our democratic societies. It is about creating distrust among each other, said Maria Malmer Stenergard during the signing.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agreement is part of Sweden's international efforts to strengthen resilience against disinformation and complements collaborations within the EU, the Nordic countries, and the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism.
The U.S. Ambassador Erik Ramanathan emphasized on X (formerly Twitter) the importance of the cooperation to protect democratic values.
– We are pleased to sign a memorandum of understanding with Sweden to strengthen our critical work in countering foreign disinformation and malign influence. Thank you, Minister Malmer Stenergard, for your cooperation. This collaboration reinforces our shared commitment as NATO allies to safeguard democratic values, he wrote in a post during the afternoon.
The agreement covers five key areas: development of national strategies and governance structures, strengthening of technical and human capacity, support to civil society, free media and academia, and cooperation within multilateral organizations to promote joint efforts against information influence.