Cyprus is taking the initiative to take the lead in the Eastern Mediterranean region for the cyber security of the European Union, said Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides, in his address at a seminar entitled “Course on the role of the EU Cyber Ecosystem in the Global Cyber Security Stability”, co-organised by the Ministry of Defence Security and Defence Academy and the Digital Security Authority at the ZION Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Larnaca, with 52 participants from 11 countries.
The Defence Minister referred to cyber-attacks, which he said “have too often become news”.
He added that “our defence systems cannot ignore the possibility of cyber warfare; and too many of our young people have been exposed to the online propaganda of terrorist groups and disinformation for achieving political ends. Cyberspace is a global commodity, and we all share an interest in keeping it safe and secure.”
The Minister further noted that “the nature of conflict has changed throughout history. Today, cyberspace has emerged as the latest front, as the newest advances in digital technology not only bring enormous benefits for humankind, but can also be weaponized.”
At the same time, he expressed the belief that “cyberspace can be at the same time safe and open, and that the opportunities of global connectivity outnumber its dangers by far. If we want to preserve and expand these opportunities, we must also invest in security and governance for a free and secure global internet.”
In his address, Petrides also referred to the European Union’s Global Strategy through which “the Union has committed to engaging in cyber diplomacy and to seeking international agreements on responsible behavior in cyberspace, based on existing international law”. A global framework for cybersecurity, he noted, “is an integral part of our efforts to build stronger global governance, and a more cooperative world order”.
International cooperation, he continued, was identified as the main path to “promote a free and secure global internet. The follow up to the EUs Global Strategy, the Strategic Compass which we adopted a month ago, paves the way for building a more resilient EU for addressing emerging threats such as those that derive from the cyber domain. As the EU embarks on developing the Cyber Diplomatic Toolbox and setting up an EU Cyber Defence Policy, todays training course aims to contribute to this discussion”, he said.
He also said that “bearing in mind the limited resources, both in terms of financial and human resources, our goal must be to complement each other’s efforts for a free and secure global internet, avoiding unnecessary duplication.”
The effort, he added, “must be collective and inclusive, thus we took the initiative to take the lead for our region, bringing together in this course, presenting the EU Cyber security eco system, best practices and the opportunities for joint efforts to participants from the relevant EU Institutions, EU Member States, and from our partner States from the Middle East and North Africa area.”
Charalambos Petrides welcomed “the interest and participation of representatives from the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf countries” and noted that “it is important to share information, exchange best practices, explore ways of cooperation and cross fertilize training and education opportunities”.
He also thanked “the 52 participants, physically and virtually, present from 11 countries (Algeria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Belgium, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Germany, Lebanon, Slovakia, Portugal, Qatar) and EU bodies and their sending institutions for their interest in working with us”.
In his address, Communications Commissioner George Michaelides described the seminar as important and said that “it is a landmark for cybersecurity dialogue and cooperation in the Middle East and North Africa region”, while he thanked the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) ” for the collaboration that we have built over the past couple of years and their continuing devotion to the production of very high-quality courses and seminars. It is clear that such a collaboration gives both sides significant benefits,” he said.
He added that “the importance of cooperation in cybersecurity is recognised by everyone” and noted that “we understand very well the he critical importance that is attached to cybersecurity, but also the significance of strong relationships and collaboration in this area, we all know that cyberspace has no borders,” he said.
He also described the content of the seminar as “extremely interesting as it covers topics such as the global cyber context, cyber diplomacy, the perspective of the European Union’s institutions – bodies and agencies, the Union’s cyber security strategy and key legislation, as well as European approaches to countering hybrid threats and external cyber capacity building”.
At the moment, Michaelides said, “we are witnessing a significant increase in strategic initiatives and developments in the European Union and the wider region.”
Referring to the seminar, the Communications Commissioner noted it “is fully aligned with our overall strategy in Cyprus when it comes to regional cooperation and capacity building, including the development of relevant technology, facilitating collaboration, building relationships, developing regional capacity and setting up joint cybersecurity projects.”
We understand very well, he continued, ” the importance of cybersecurity cooperation, not just on the organisational and national levels, but also between countries in this region and beyond” and expressed the hope that the seminar would be “a catalyst for the development of new and extended relationships in this area”.
The Communications Commissioner reiterated “the importance of having and maintaining close relations and cooperation, we must build and develop our collaboration activities and we must continue to move forward together.””One country’s cybersecurity problem can very easily spread to others,” he said, noting that ” it is vital that we set up meaningful cooperation, to increase our cybersecurity, your cybersecurity and for the benefit of us all.”
Moreover, in his address, the Director of the European Defence Agency Dirk Dubois thanked “the Republic of Cyprus for its continued support to the ESDC and all that we do not only by organizing the number of courses that you will have already mentioned in your opening addresses, but also by making available very high-quality officers from the army of the armed forces of the Republic, who are appreciated and work very hard and very well especially in the field of cyber”.
Dubois also referred to the geographical position of Cyprus and said that “we are the most important sea line of communication of the European Union, since most of the trade goes through the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, down through the Suez Canal, all the way down through the Red Sea and then to the Indian Ocean”, noting that apart from the important security chapter, there is also the chapter on partners.
He also said that “it is no coincidence that we have chosen the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf States as the target audience for this course.” This, he noted, “has a lot to do with protecting one of our main vital interests within the European Union, protecting our sea lines of communications, our economy directly, indirectly depends on that, sea lines of communication and cyber.”
According to Dubois, “to partner with Middle Eastern and North African countries, to partner with the Gulf States is not an automatically given for us but is needed in sensitive areas such as cyber and must be based on mutual trust.”
He also said that “cooperation can only happen if we speak the same language, if we trust each other, and if we share the interest in protecting each other”, as he explained “in the cyber world there is no difference between civilians and military. In the cyber world there are no borders but today it is an international problem of the highest order”.
Source: Cyprus News Agency