Defence Minister Vlado Misajlovski together with Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and other government ministers and directors of security institutions today (29 January) attended the final exercise organized within the framework of the “Cyber Security Project in the Western Balkans” held at the Military Academy in Skopje. The event was also attended by UK Ambassador Matthew Lawson, as the sponsor of the project.
The Cyber Security Project aims to strengthen the regional cybersecurity capacities in the Western Balkan countries. It is organized into three modules: evaluation of the capacities of government institutions for cybersecurity, development of minimum standards in this field and training of trainers for organizing the final exercise based on a cyber-attack scenario in which senior government officials participated.
After the simulation exercise, Prime Minister Mickoski underlined that cyber threats are a reality that threatens not only our privacy, but also our economy, sovereignty and national security. The government, he said, is firmly committed to protecting our digital infrastructure and providing a safe online space for all our citizens.
“The government is implementing a strategy and investing in state-of-the-art technologies to protect against cyber threats. These measures include strengthening critical infrastructure as well as securing public and private networks. We need to work on education, training and awareness-raising. Citizens must be prepared and informed about the dangers of cyber-attacks. I see this exercise and simulation, but also these standards that are being set, as a process of strengthening our national cooperation”, said the Prime Minister.
Mickoski stressed that cyber security was not just the responsibility of the government, but that each of us – the citizens, the institutions, the business sector and non-governmental organizations has a role to play in this fight. “Together we can create a digital world that is safe, stable and secure”, said Mickoski.
