Skopje, 7 September 2022 (MIA) – Communication is key for us, and this was best demonstrated by the military aggression against Ukraine, which is continuously followed by an information war with the sole purpose of undermining trust in the overall civilization values, undermining our sovereignty as an Alliance. Spreading lies is always the easiest way to reach and influence the public, and the effects of those lies are devastating. The responsibility of NATO communicators in this war is huge to win the victory of truth and justice and permanent civilizational values, said Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska in her address at the opening of the NATO Communicators Conference, hosted this year for the first time by North Macedonia. According to her, the most important strong political message from this forum is that NATO is a military and political alliance that is alert and monitors security challenges from all aspects, as well as reacting and adapting to them. “All of you are well aware of the military doctrine that guarantees success and foresees four instruments of national power, and those instruments are information, economy, diplomacy and military. You, our NATO communicators, hold one of the four instruments of power in your hands. Information is in your hands and handling it is of utmost importance. Each of you present here, and there are representatives from almost all the allied countries, should flawlessly complete your role and so that we can once again say that NATO, 73 years after its foundation, remains the most powerful Alliance guided by the true values, which are individual freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” emphasized Minister Petrovska. She said that it is necessary for NATO's messages to reach everyone, that, above all, "we believe in peace, but that we are firmly determined to protect our sovereignty, democracies and our freedom." "North Macedonia as the newest member state, knows that the best way forward is when we walk together with our allies and like-minded people, we reap the benefits, but also contribute to the collective goals of the Alliance," stated the Minister. Petrovska mentioned that for the third year in a row, the Ministry of Defense has been declared the most transparent institution in the country. "This year, the Government has joined us in the result as an institution with 100 percent active transparency," she added. "We know how important it is to protect the national interests and security of each of our citizens, but we also know that it is equally important to answer every question that is of public interest because that is the best weapon against fake news. We recognize the dangers of information manipulation and fake news, and that is why we are in the process of establishing a Center for Public Relations, whose main goal will be precisely the fight against disinformation. In its current form, known to most of you as the Regional Center for Public Relations, it will receive additional functions and responsibilities with a focus on countering fake news and disinformation that is especially present in this part of Europe and North Macedonia. With NATO's help, this Center will become an added value to the Alliance as a whole and a great advantage that will be beneficial for our collective need for the truth,” Minister of Defense Petrovska said. Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski earlier addressed at the opening of the conference, as well as the Assistant to the Secretary General of NATO for Public Diplomacy, Baiba Braže. Video addresses will also be given by the Commander of the Allied Operations Command, General Christopher Cavoli Allied Commander Transformation General Philippe Lavigne. About 300 people will participate in the Conference in Skopje, and several panels dedicated to strategic communications will be organized, which will be preceded by several working groups in this area. dk/ba/