Skopje, 10 February 2023 (MIA) – Deputy PM for good governance policies Slavica Grkovska met Friday with Dutch Ambassador Dirk Jan Kop, representative of the Secretariat of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), Wouter Veenstra, as well as representatives of the academic community and institutions.

Interlocutors discussed the need for a joint coordinated approach in the fight against cyber-attacks and increasing cyber-security by sharing expert knowledge and experiences in this area.

“I am very pleased to say that the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia became the 103rd member of GFCE in November 2022. GFCE is one of the largest expert networks in the world helping governments and private sectors to build a strong defensive cyberinfrastructure and strengthen their capacities in order to defend themselves from cyber-attacks, which represent one form of the greatest threats to the security of democracy in the world today, and which severely damage governments, institutions, as well as the private sector and the citizens. That is why the Government is dedicated to this important topic and we are trying hard every day to improve the state’s capacity to fend off cyber-attacks, by building a strong and sustainable system that will protect state IT systems, as well as the companies and citizens themselves,” Deputy PM Grkovska said in her address.

Ambassador Dirk Jan Kop said that North Macedonia’s cyber-resistance is crucial, as is its cooperation with international partners such as GFCE. He pointed out that the things happening on a global level should motivate countries of the Western Balkans to raise their cyber-attack security measures.

Veenstra was given the chance to present the GFCE’s work, the subjects they cover and their offer for cooperation in order to choose the best future cooperation model with this network.

Representatives of the academic community and institutions in the country also attended the meeting in order to be included in the work of this international forum, sharing experiences and undertaking joint steps. dk/ik/