Finland and United States sign a Memorandum of Understanding on countering foreign state information manipulation

At the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs on 4 April 2024, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on countering foreign state information manipulation. With the MoU, Finland and the United States reaffirm their shared understanding of the importance of countering information manipulation and of the key best practices.

“Finland has long contributed to countering harmful information influence activities both nationally and as part of its foreign and security policy. As foreign information manipulation and state-sponsored disinformation know no boundaries, we need international cooperation to minimise their harmful effects. The United States has a key role in the cooperation of democratic states to tackle foreign information manipulation as a part of our work in protecting the freedom of speech, which is a fundamental right in our societies,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Valtonen said in Brussels.

The Memorandum of Understanding expresses the political will of its parties. It is not legally binding.