2020-09-25
"We all know that we are waiting for very important coming elections, and cyber-issues, cyber-risks, and cyber-threats can be very challenging for this country," Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated in his speech during the opening of the Georgian Cyber Security Forum.
The head of the government noted that the Cyber Security Forum, which is being held for the first time in Tbilisi, should be a very important event for strengthening Georgia's national security in cyberspace.
"Cyber issues have become part of our lives. Every day, important activities take place in the cyber domain, which are critical elements for the normal functioning of government, critical infrastructure, and countries. Unfortunately, Georgia already faced those risks and challenges within the past 12 years: We all remember the Russian cyber-attack during the conflict in 2008, the October 2019 attack on a significant number of websites belonging to private and public sectors, and the most recent attack of 1 September on the systems of Georgian healthcare institutions and the Lugar Lab as well. In order to effectively respond to the abovementioned challenges it is very important to have a strong structural framework with main functioning and relevant agencies with clear roles and responsibilities," Giorgi Gakharia stated.
The Prime Minister stressed the need for a national-level structure with the mandate of coordinating the respective sectoral agencies. According to him, the identification and management of national-level cyber incidents becomes very important in this context.
"We do realize that we are facing challenges in many of the abovementioned directions. Accordingly, our goal is to solve the existing problems. Therefore, the goal of today's meeting is to confirm our mutual commitments in the cyber field at a high political level. At the same time, we need to discuss Georgian cyber security architecture, the draft National Cyber Security Strategy, and the current reform in information security legislation," Giorgi Gakharia noted.
The Prime Minister stressed the invaluable support of strategic partners and allies in the field of cyber security and expressed his gratitude.
"I would like to assure you that the political leadership of this country respects its commitments in this field, and we are ready to work together for tangible results," the Prime Minister stated.
Internal Affairs Minister and National Security Council Secretary Vakhtang Gomelauri, Vice Prime Minister and Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani, Defense Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, State Security Service Head Grigol Liluashvili, Foreign Affairs Minister Davit Zalkaliani, EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell, US Ambassador Kelly Degnan, UK Ambassador Mark Clayton, and Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia Riina Kaljurand addressed the participants of the Cyber Security Forum.
The event was attended by representatives of the relevant Georgian agencies, diplomatic missions, and international institutions.
The first Georgian Cyber Security Forum, which was held in Tbilisi, was organized by the Office of the National Security Council of Georgia with the support of the Government of Georgia. The forum, which aims to identify the challenges facing the national cyber security environment and develop an appropriate plan to address problematic issues, will take place on an annual basis.
Press Service of the Government Administration