Communication has great importance in the process of self-determination of a nation. It unites the nation internally and helps to develop a national identity, culture, and values. Hence, it can positively influence the nation's power and stability. In addition, nations and states use communication or international public relations or governmental strategic communication – the convergence between public diplomacy and public relations - to gain support within the international community. Within the political discourse all those paradigms contribute to the soft power of a nation and state. The support and alliances are essential for achieving their foreign policy goals, including the recognition of a new state. The appropriate communication helps them to establish and strengthen relationships among individuals, nations, regional and governmental authorities, and other stakeholders (especially international governmental and non-governmental organisations) and contributes to a greater level of mutual trust. It helps nations build their reputation. How important is communication when it comes to the process of self-determination is also shown in the case study of this thesis – international communication of Catalonia for its independence, which focused on communication of Catalan MEPs and contribution of their communication to the Catalan self-determination. There has been a belief among academics for some time now that public relations should become a part of the management of nation-building. Our case study once again confirmed that. Although it is difficult to be certain about the actual impact of communication, we can argue that it exists and has an important positive influence.
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