On 14 March, the Regional Studies Center (RSC), our independent think tank in Armenia, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland held a seminar on “Forging Resilience and Hybrid Threats.”
The special seminar featured opening remarks by Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan, on behalf of the Regional Studies Center (RSC), and Finnish Ambassador to Armenia Arja Makkonen.
Following the opening remarks, the seminar continued with a Keynote Address by Mikko Kinnunen, Ambassador, Countering Hybrid Threats, Political Department, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, with a presentation entitled, “How to Improve Resilience? Case Finland: Countering Hybrid Threats as Part of Finland’s Foreign and Security Policy and International Cooperation.” Dr. Poghosyan then offered his presentation on resilience and hybrid threats, “Lessons for Armenia.”
Following a coffee break, the seminar proceeded with a special moderated session devoted to “Weaponized Information,” with presentations by Vesa Kekäle, Counsellor, Strategic Communications, Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, MFA of Finland, entitled, “Finland´s Experience in Responding to Influence by Information/Information Manipulation,” and Albert Nerzetyan, an information security specialist from the Armenian National Security Council (NSC) on “Armenian policy in the sphere of information and cyber security.”
As background on Armenia, the RSC also prepared a country report on Armenia for the Disinformation Resilience Index (DRI), published last year (http://prismua.org/wp-conte…/uploads/2018/…/DRI_CEE_2018.pdf).
