Today, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Luminița Odobescu signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Romania on countering foreign state information manipulation.

Foreign state information manipulation, which includes disinformation and propaganda, is a transnational security threat that can create or exploit divisions within and among countries, imperil election integrity, and undermine public trust in government. In shared recognition of the threat faced, the United States and Romania intend to expand bilateral cooperation and align government policies along the five key action areas established in the U.S. Department of State’s Framework to Counter Foreign State Information Manipulation. This expanded cooperation enables greater information sharing about foreign disinformation operations, capacity building to strengthen social resilience, and multilateral coordination on this issue.

This MOU is an important step towards protecting a free, open, and fact-based global information environment.