The Staff of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Serhiy Demedyuk and Senior Country Director of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Peter Erben signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the NSDC Staff and IFES.

The document is aimed at organizing cooperation in cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection, in particular the development of a system of training and retraining in the fields of critical infrastructure protection and cyber protection of critical infrastructure.

Mr. Demedyuk acquainted Mr. Erben with the work of the National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity (NCCC) under the NSDC of Ukraine and noted that the Center is becoming increasingly vital for the state, as it combines at the highest level "efforts and resources to counter threats in cyberspace, information space, as well as threats to critical infrastructure". "If we speak about cybersecurity, today it covers the security of everyday life of people and the country in all areas", - he added.

The Deputy NSDC Secretary expressed his gratitude to the partner countries and relevant organizations, in particular IFES, for their comprehensive support in building up a national cybersecurity system. "We express our sincere gratitude to our international partners for their assistance, - for the initiative, examples, expert support", - he said adding that Ukraine is ready to share its own practical experience in combating cyber threats, in particular those coming from the aggressor state - Russian Federation.

The Deputy NSDC Secretary expressed confidence that the Memorandum with IFES will contribute to the involvement of world best practices to strengthen the national education and training system in critical infrastructure protection and cyber protection of critical infrastructure. "In the future, this will contribute to the development of effective strategies for owners and managers of critical infrastructure, will make their assets safer and more viable", - Mr. Demedyuk noticed.

In his turn, Mr. Erben expressed his conviction that cyber threats are "among the major threats to democracy around the world", which requires deepening cooperation between partner countries in effectively countering these threats. Mr. Erben stressed the importance of the NCCC's work and expressed readiness to further deepen cooperation, in particular in sharing experiences in the use of global technologies, online voting, and training of adults in cybersecurity and cyberdefense.