BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. Cybersecurity,
against the backdrop of deepening digitalization and changing
geopolitical situations, has already become not just a technical
issue, but a direct issue of national security, Chairman of the
Temporary Commission against Foreign Interference and Hybrid
Threats of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Ramid Namazov, said,
Trend's
correspondent reports from the event.
He made the remark during a public debate in the parliament on
the topic "Digital development, artificial intelligence and
protecting children from harmful effects on social network
platforms."
The MP noted that the rapid development of artificial
intelligence, the creation of data centers, and digitalization are
no longer just technological trends, but have become strategic
factors that determine the future economic position,
competitiveness, and national security of countries.
Namazov pointed out that the strategic foresight of President
Ilham Aliyev played a special role in the establishment of
Azerbaijan's digital architecture and in the digital transformation
in general, and all stages of this process are connected with the
personal participation and decisions of the head of state.
According to the MP, it's enough to look at the legal acts
adopted in the last four years to understand the scale of the work
done.
The commission head reminded that on February 11 of this year, a
consultation was held under the chairmanship of President Ilham
Aliyev, which became the basis for the unified action plan called
"Azerbaijan's New Digital Architecture". During that consultation,
it was noted that the application of artificial intelligence, the
creation of data centers, and reforms in the field of
digitalization determine the future development of countries, and
Azerbaijan should include this direction among its priorities.
Namazov emphasized that during the consultation, the unique
advantages that Azerbaijan has in this area were mentioned.
According to him, the first advantage is the country's location
between Asia and Europe, on the East-West and North-South transport
corridors, and the potential for transforming the existing
transport and energy infrastructure into fiber-optic corridors.
He added that the second advantage is energy potential. Over the
past 20 years, Azerbaijan's generation capacity has almost doubled,
reaching 10,000 megawatts, and currently, there is at least 2,000
megawatts of unused capacity, which is a prerequisite for data
centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
According to the commission chairman, it was emphasized at the
consultation that digitalization is not an option, but a necessity,
and the importance of a comprehensive approach to the issue was
noted not only from the technological perspective, but also from
the perspective of human capital, investment environment, national
security, and international position.
Namazov said that at the next stage, institutional mechanisms
were created in the field of digital development. According to him,
the Digital Development Council was established by the decree of
President Ilham Aliyev, and the Council, chaired by First
Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, was entrusted with the function of
coordinating and supervising the implementation of the measures
envisaged in the "Action plan for accelerating digital development
in Azerbaijan for 2026-2028".
He noted that President Ilham Aliyev has defined strategic
directions, national priorities, and a long-term vision, and First
Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva is implementing this vision,
coordinating between institutions and monitoring the results.
Namazov stressed that the leadership of the First Vice-President
in this process shows that digital development is one of the
highest priorities for the state and confirms that Azerbaijan's
digital transformation policy has entered the stage of systematic
institutional management.
The commission head said that at the first meeting of the
Digital Development Council held on June 29, First Vice-President
Mehriban Aliyeva delivered important messages. According to her,
the speech emphasized the importance of studying international
experience and applying successful models, as well as the need to
make all decisions in accordance with the national interests and
real needs of Azerbaijan.
Namazov added that the goal of the Council is not only to
introduce new technologies, but also to give a strong impetus to
the country's economy, attract investments, support local startups,
and create a more efficient public administration system.
He said that the topic of cybersecurity was also one of the main
issues of the meeting. According to him, artificial intelligence is
developing faster than expected, and this creates new opportunities
as well as new threats. Therefore, it is more important than ever
to be prepared for risks in the field of cybersecurity and
information security.
Namazov pointed out that in parallel with the deepening of
digitalization, the number, scale, and complexity of cyberattacks,
which are an important component of hybrid threats, are rapidly
increasing. The World Economic Forum also assesses cybersecurity
risks and insidious activities carried out through technologies at
the forefront of the list of global threats.
According to him, cyberattacks carried out using artificial
intelligence, supply chain risks, and targeted threats against
critical information infrastructure have already become an everyday
reality.
The chairman of the commission recalled that at a consultation
held in February, President Ilham Aliyev announced that Azerbaijan
had been subjected to an organized and aggressive cyberattack last
year. He added that the commission also periodically, and in
special cases, informs the public about hybrid threats carried out
against the country.
Namazov underscored that all this shows that as the
digitalization process deepens and the geopolitical situation
changes, cybersecurity is no longer a technical issue, but directly
a matter of national security.
