TRA heads Bahrain’s Delegation to US-GCC Cyber Security Strategic Cooperation Forum

Manama

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Director of Cyber Security Dr. Khalid Bin Duaij Al Khalifa headed Bahrain’s delegation to the US-GCC Cyber Security Strategic Cooperation Forum at the Secretariat- General Headquarters in Riyadh.  The forum took place from Aug 31 to September 1.

 The Cyber Working Group, made up of US and GCC delegations from various Cyber Security agencies, was established after the May 14 Camp David Summit with GCC leaders, where the US and GCC Countries agreed to improving cyber security in the GCC.

 The forum provided a platform to discuss and assess GCC countries’ cyber security readiness and to explore possible areas of cooperation in developing policies to protect critical infrastructure against cyber threats.

 It also facilitated discussions on cyber issues, and the multilateral consultations for regional cooperation against cyber threats.

 After the working group’s meetings were concluded, Dr. Khalid Bin Duaij Al Khalifa said , “Cyber Security is a matter that requires international cooperation and knowledge sharing. It is a high priority for Bahrain from a security and economic standpoint.”

 The working group is an important step towards maximizing efforts multilaterally across the GCC in fighting cyber threats effectively,” he added.

 He stressed the damages that cyber vulnerabilities can cause, such as national-scale economic convulsions, the disruption of tactical military operations, and system-wide computer malfunction as witnessed in Aramco.

“These are all complex threats that can’t be dealt with in isolation, which is why at this intersection of policy and technology, we seek to strengthen our cooperative mechanisms. We simply cannot afford to have our key national infrastructures and systems to be exposed or to become fragile,” he stated.

 The agenda for the Cyber Working Group included importance of national cyber strategy, approaches to critical infrastructure security and resilience related to cyber security, cyber incident management, cyber threat information sharing and law enforcement cooperation, and exchange of cyber security best practices.