The New Strategy Center participated in an event titled “Hybrid Threats from the High North to the Black Sea: Challenging Times for NATO” during a visit to Norway. The event was organized at the Oslo Military Circle by the Romanian Embassy in Norway with the involvement of the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. His Excellency Cristian Bădescu and Her Excellency Jan Thompson, UK Ambassador, made the opening remarks at the start of the event.

The first panel of the event was titled “Russian New Generation Warfare in the Black Sea and the High North. The importance of coordination in StratCom activities and countering disinformation.” The panel was moderated by Raluca Trușcanu, Director of Public Diplomacy and Communication at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Participants included Sergiu Mitrescu, Program Director at New Strategy Center, Dr. Karsten Friis, Research Professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Major Dorin Chirca, Head of Internal Communications, Information and Public Relations Directorate, Ministry of Defense, and Daniela Munteanu, Head of the Research Department at the Euro-Atlantic Center for Resilience.

    

In the discussions, Sergiu Mitrescu and Dr. Karsten Friis compared the manifestations of Russian New Generation Warfare in the Black Sea and the Arctic region, analyzing the similarities and differences between the two regions. Major Dorin Chirca and Daniela Munteanu addressed the issue from a disinformation perspective, analyzing recurring false narratives and the institutional approaches to combat them.

The second panel of the day, titled “Safeguarding Critical Maritime Energy Infrastructure – focus on cybersecurity dimension“, was moderated by Brigadier General (ret.) Daniel Ioniță, Senior Associate Expert at New Strategy Center. Participants included Jakub Godzimirski, Research Professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Chief Commissioner Nicolae Merlă, Head of the Center for the Coordination of Critical Infrastructure Protection, and Cristian Driga, Cybersecurity Advisor at the Asymmetric Risks Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first speaker, Jakub Godzimirski, analyzed the set of threats targeting critical infrastructures in Norway. Chief Commissioner Nicolae Merlă discussed concrete measures that can be implemented for the protection of critical infrastructures.