MINSK, 16 June (BelTA) - The media landscape has become a battlefield, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly Vladimir Andreichenko said as he addressed the 60th session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia held via a video link, BelTA has learned.
“Protection of the information space and traditional values of Belarus and Russia, education of young people are very important issues that require close attention of the Union State MPs. Unfortunately, the latest IT technologies are used as an instrument of information and psychological warfare against our countries and peoples. We see promotion of permissiveness, calls for public unrest, attempts to discredit the government. The so-called half-truths aimed at distorting the historical truth and memory are gradually being imprinted into people's mindsets," Said Vladimir Andreichenko.
Vladimir Andreichenko noted that much has already been done to counter this subversive work. "The Russian president's decree has approved a new version of the foundations of the Russian Federation's state policy in the field of international information security. The Belarusian parliament has also recently adopted relevant amendments to the legislation. But we cannot let our guards down yet," he said. “The media landscape is a battlefield today. The future of our countries depends on whether we capture and hold the strategically important heights. It is us, not our foreign opponents, who should shape our information landscape, make it attractive for people, especially young people."
According to the speaker, the Youth Chamber under the Parliamentary Assembly successfully implements projects of patriotic education and preservation of historical memory. “One of their recent projects was to perpetuate the memory of the members of the BSSR Supreme Council who died and went missing during the Great Patriotic War as part of the international Digital Star project. We need to develop and support such projects in every possible way,” Vladimir Andreichenko said.
The speaker called to support educational military-patriotic projects within the framework of the Union State. He suggested incorporating visits to memorials and places of military glory in Belarus and Russia into school educational programs to make sure younger generation learn as much as possible of the heroic past of the two countries.
The chairman of the lower house of parliament also stressed the need to promote the Union State brand among young people through the internet, by raising awareness of the union's activities, its successes and prospects, opportunities for education and self-realization of the youth.
“We have difficult tasks before us, and we will have to solve them in the current difficult times. However, any difficult period opens up new opportunities. It is important to use them wisely. I am convinced that by demonstrating unity and solidarity, as we have done more than once in our past, we will be able to realize the full potential of our strategic partnership and alliance for the benefit of the peoples of Belarus and Russia,” the speaker said.
