OSCE cybersecurity points of contact from Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus visit Estonia

From 30 June to 5 July, the OSCE`s Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, organized a study visit on Cybersecurity in Estonia for representatives from Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus.

The group brought together policy and technical Points of Contact, part of the OSCE’s network established in line with confidence-building measure number 8, one of the 16 cyber/ICT security confidence-building measures agreed upon by OSCE participating States.

Representatives from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine visited relevant ministries, institutions and private sector companies responsible for enhancing cyber/ICT security. Estonia continues to be one of the world's most active advocates for cybersecurity. Exchanging experiences in the areas of cyber diplomacy and international cybersecurity is vital for trust-building and future co-operation.

“Throughout the years, in Estonia we have taken capacity building and sharing experiences very seriously. Study visits like this one organised by the OSCE give great opportunities to expand the knowledgebase as well as the network of colleagues to further the ideas of cyber diplomacy and security,” stated Tanel Sepp, Ambassador at Large for Cyber Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia.

The study visit was an opportunity to explore Estonia’s solutions in electronic identity, state information systems and secure data exchange. It also enabled participants to learn about good practices in using public-private partnerships to deliver public services, develop cybersecurity policies, as well as protect critical information infrastructure.

“The Estonian model is an exceptional success story of building a fully digital society with a resilient cybersecurity system. The study visit to Estonia was a wonderful opportunity to get deeper insights into this model, which can serve as a good example for developing a strong national cybersecurity system in our countries. Such visits set off new and expand already existing mechanisms of co-operation on cybersecurity in Europe,“ said Megi Benia, Second secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

This study visit was organized as a part of the “Strengthening the work of the CBM 8 Points of Contact crisis communication network” project, with the financial support of the United States of America.