OSCE supports establishment of Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence in Turkmenistan’s Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics
A grand opening of a Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence took place on 21 October 2022 at the Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics in Ashgabat.
The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat initiated the establishment of the Centre of Excellence to support the host government’s efforts aimed at strengthening the country's cyber/ICT security and assist the Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics to take lead in preventing and countering cyberthreats.
High-level representatives of Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Education and Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics as well as teachers and students of the Institute attended the inauguration ceremony.
In his speech during the grand opening, John MacGregor, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat referred to 2013 and 2016 Decisions of the OSCE Permanent Council regarding “Confidence-Building Measures to Reduce the Risks of Conflict Stemming from the Use of Information and Communication Technologies”.
“The OSCE participating States pledged to work voluntarily to facilitate co-operation among competent national bodies and between participating States in promoting security of their information and communication technologies,” said MacGregor.
“Turkmenistan demonstrated its commitment to these important decisions by adopting state programmes for ensuring cybersecurity for 2017-2021 and 2022-2025, passing the Law on Cybersecurity and establishing Cybersecurity Service”, added MacGregor.
During the inauguration ceremony, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat officially handed over state-of-the-art equipment to the Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics, which will enable the Centre of Excellence to engage in research work, initiate new projects and training activities on cyber threats and cybersecurity issues for both public and private sector cyber specialists.
“It is symbolic that the Centre of Excellence is inaugurated during the OSCE’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month,” noted MacGregor. “The OSCE Centre will continue to support the Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence by assisting the Centre of Excellence to provide a platform for sharing world practices in cybersecurity, countering cyber threats and cyberattacks.”
“The opening of the Center of Excellence on Cyber Security at the Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics demonstrates the effectiveness of Turkmenistan's co-operation with the OSCE,” said Azat Atayev, Deputy Minister of Education. “I am confident that this Center will serve as a platform for sharing experience and capacity building of teachers in cybersecurity technologies, and will become a generator of new solutions for information security.”
Gloss