Azerbaijan hosts conference on 'Scientific and practical problems of ensuring state cyber sovereignty' (PHOTO)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10. A republican
conference on "Scientific and practical problems of ensuring the
state's cyber sovereignty" was held at the Information Technologies
Institute of the Ministry of Science and Education in Baku,
Trend reports.

The event was jointly organized by the Institute of Information
Technologies, the Heydar Aliyev Academy of the State Security
Service, Azerbaijan Technical University, and the Association of
Cybersecurity Organizations of Azerbaijan

At the opening ceremony of the event, Vice-President of
Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Director General of
the Information Technologies Institute, Academician Rasim
Aliguliyev noted that in recent years, in the direction of
accelerating digital transformation processes in the country,
cybersecurity and cyber sovereignty issues have become one of the
priority directions of state policy, emphasizing that the
conference is dedicated to discussing the scientific, theoretical
and practical problems of ensuring the state's cyber sovereignty,
solutions, existing approaches and results of conducted
research.

He noted that the adoption of the "Digital development concept
in Azerbaijan", the "Artificial intelligence strategy of Azerbaijan
for 2025-2028", as well as the definition of a unified action plan
for the "New digital architecture of Azerbaijan" have further
increased the relevance of scientifically based approaches and
institutional cooperation in this area.

Delivering a comprehensive report on the topic "Sustainable and
secure digital architecture is the guarantee of the state's cyber
sovereignty", the academician noted that the topic was dedicated to
the need to form a new digital architecture in Azerbaijan and the
development of its scientific and technological foundations in the
context of global technological challenges.

In his speech, Elshad Nasirov, Head of the Heydar Aliyev Academy
of the State Security Service, approached the issue of cyber
sovereignty from the perspective of national security and state
interests, and stated that the rapid development of digital
technologies in modern times is forming new challenges and
requirements for the sovereignty of states. According to him,
cyberspace has become not only a technological sphere but also an
important strategic environment that affects political, economic,
social, and cultural processes. Therefore, the protection of the
cyber sovereignty of states is of particular importance as an
integral part of national security.

Noting that important steps have been taken in the country under
the leadership of the Head of State, Ilham Aliyev, towards digital
state building, application of artificial intelligence technologies
and digitalization of society, the official drew attention to the
fact that strengthening the cybersecurity and cyber sovereignty of
our country against the background of these processes is one of the
main tasks ahead, and expressed his confidence that such scientific
conferences will play an important role in discussing current
problems related to cyber sovereignty and formulating new
approaches.

During his speech at the event, Davud Rustamov, Head of the
National Cybersecurity Center of the State Security Service,
provided detailed information about the main areas of activity of
the center, areas identified as critical information
infrastructure, and regulatory and legal mechanisms formed in this
area. Touching upon the importance of the decree of the President
of Azerbaijan dated April 17, 2021, "On some measures in the field
of ensuring the security of critical information infrastructure",
he noted that it was based on this document that the formation of a
unified and systematic cybersecurity ecosystem in the country
began. The speaker, who drew attention to the fact that
cybersecurity has become one of the main pillars of state security,
emphasized that the topic of the conference is of great relevance
and strategic importance in the modern era.

Speaking at the event, Rector of Azerbaijan Technical
University, Professor Vilayat Valiyev, articulated that cyber
sovereignty is one of the most important elements of the
sovereignty of states in the 21st century. Speaking about the need
to form highly qualified personnel potential to ensure
cybersovereignty, the rector noted that higher education
institutions have a great responsibility in this area, and that the
preparation of a new generation of specialists who can contribute
to digital transformation processes is of great importance for the
country's cybersecurity and technological development.

The event was also addressed by Deputy Head of the Main
Department of the State Service for Special Communications and
Information Security, Tural Mammadov, Executive Director of the
Association of Cybersecurity Organizations of Azerbaijan, Rauf
Jabarov, as well as President of the Internet Development Forum in
Azerbaijan, Director of the Multimedia Center, Osman Gunduz. The
speeches emphasized that strengthening the protection of state
information systems is one of the main directions of
cybersovereignty, and that the fight against risks and threats in
cyberspace requires cooperation between state agencies, the
scientific community, and civil society.

The conference noted that against the backdrop of digital
transformation and the rapid development of artificial
intelligence, the protection of cyber sovereignty is of particular
relevance as one of the pillars of national security, and
consistent measures are being taken in this area in the
country.

Furthermore, Aliguliyev highly appreciated the ideas and
opinions of the scientists and specialists, representatives of
state institutions and civil society who spoke at the event,
reflecting the current challenges related to ensuring
cybersecurity, and at the end of his speech, he expressed deep
gratitude to the leadership of the Ministry of Science and
Education, the State Security Service, the State Service for
Special Communications and Information Security, as well as
representatives of the civil society sector for their support in
organizing the event.

Then, the conference continued its work with section
meetings.

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