The Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, the Secretary of the National Security Council and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Vakhtang Gomelauri, opened the first Georgia Cybersecurity Forum with welcoming remarks. The forum, which is organized by the Office of the National Security Council with the support of the Government of Georgia, is held in Tbilisi.
"I would like to note from the outset that holding of the Cybersecurity Forum in Georgia is of a particular importance, due to the geopolitical location of our country and its stated goal - to become a full-fledged member of the Euro-Atlantic security structures - poses special risks and challenges in the context of national security. From practical point of view, our country is an active target of politically motivated cyberattacks, disinformation, propaganda and cyber espionage. Furthermore, I would like to point out that the common threats in the cyberspace in countries of the wider Black Sea region are becoming extremely relevant and important for the country’s national security; We see and acknowledge the challenges coming from the cyber domain, which are largely the result of external actors. Therefore, one of the goals of today’s forum is to make certain commitments in this direction and ensure its fulfilment, what I clearly welcome in capacity of a secretary of security policy coordination body” – stated Vakhtang Gomelauri.
The Secretary of the National Security Council also mentioned that actions foreseen by the draft National Cybersecurity Strategy and its Action Plan should be considered.
The members of the Government, the Head of the State Security Service, Grigol Liluashvili as well as the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Georgia also addressed the forum participants.
The primary goal of the Cyber Security Forum is to identify the challenges facing the national cybersecurity environment and develop a respective plan for solving the problematic issues.
The Forum will become an annual event. It will serve as a platform for sharing ideas on challenges and opportunities Georgia and the Black Sea region face within the cyber domain.
The event was attended by representatives of relevant Georgian agencies, diplomatic missions and international institutions.