site.btaMoldova’s Diplomatic Institute Exchanges Expertise on Fighting Disinformation with Bulgarian Authorities

The Diplomatic Institute of Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration is on a working visit to Bulgaria between April 7 and 10 to share expertise on strategic communications and the fight against disinformation and hybrid threats. The visiting delegation includes members of the state administration of Moldova specializing in government communications. The visit is hosted by the Diplomatic Institute under the Bulgarian Foreign Minister, the institute said in a press release.

On the first day of the discussions, the hosts briefed their counterparts on the first Bulgarian manual on disinformation, titled Countering Disinformation in Bulgaria: Practical Guidance for Situational Assessment and Strategic Communications. The book is the result of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry’s longstanding cooperation with the Government Communication Service of the United Kingdom.

The Moldovan guests also met with representatives of the Directorate of Strategic Communications and Public Diplomacy at the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. They exchanged institutional expertise on strategic communications and countering foreign information influences. The role of the State Agency for National Security in combating hybrid threats was discussed at a meeting with officers from the agency. The Centre for the Study of Democracy gave a presentation on building information integrity and resilience to disinformation.

More expertise sharing sessions are planned for the rest of the visit. One of them will be held at the Defence Ministry Information Centre and will focus on strategic communications in the field of defence. A discussion at Bulgarian National Radio will dwell on the fight against fake news. Identrics, an innovative Bulgarian company operating in the field of artificial intelligence, will present techniques for social media monitoring and for tracking narratives aimed at disinformation.

The visit is part of a project to build institutional capacity at Moldova’s Diplomatic Institute, which is funded under the Development Aid Programme of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. The project also stipulates public lectures and discussions with Bulgarian experts and diplomats in Moldova.

Bulgaria began supporting the Diplomatic Institute of Moldova as soon as it was established in 2018, in line with Sofia’s consistent efforts to assist Moldova on the path of European integration, the press release said.