“For the purpose of prevention and protection, allies should be prepared for an adequate and rapid response, in case of massive cyber attacks against critical infrastructure and a possible breach in it. All the participants in the NATO Engagement for Cyber Defense 2022 conference were united around this.”
Deputy Minister of e-Government Atanas Maznev headed the Bulgarian delegation at the “NATO Engagement for Cyber Defense 2022” conference, which took place in Rome.
“Bulgaria welcomes the establishment of a shared virtual cyber incident support capacity and finds it necessary and timely, in view of the ever-increasing attacks. They are no longer only for the purpose of financial benefits, but also to achieve political goals”, Atanas Maznev stated during the conference.
He also emphasized the extreme importance of the interaction between the countries of the European Union and those outside it – the USA, Great Britain, etc. This interaction emphasizes the need to coordinate developing activities and projects within NATO.
The conference was hosted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, co-chaired by the US and supported by the NATO International Secretariat.
The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, the permanent representatives from the delegations in NATO, as well as world experts in the field of cyber security from each country participating in the forum took part in it. Among the main objectives of the conference was to achieve a high level of cooperation, mutual assistance and joint work in relation to cyber security.
During the forum, Deputy Minister Atanas Maznev also received an invitation from the Latvian delegation. Their desire is for Bulgaria to take part in the NATO Summit of Cyber Champions: A Bridge between the Transatlantic and Asia-Pacific Regions, which will be held in 2023 in Latvia.
As a result of the meeting in Rome, the Ministry of e-Government will welcome a Macedonian delegation this week. During the meeting, good practices from the Bulgarian side in the field of cyber protection will be discussed.