Page 67 - GEORptNov21

Georgia, Azerbaijan sign military cooperation plan
Georgia adopts cybersecurity strategy for 2021-2024
before his appointment as PM in February 2021.
Involving university graduates, the work at the new plant is also set to be expanded in future to include production of other firearms and accessories, and upgrades to existing arms. The PM's office said plans were also in place to export the hardware made at the factory.
Signed by the defence ministry and the Israeli company involved in the initiative in May, the deal for the factory is the latest of moves by the ministry to launch local production of hardware for armed forces over recent years.
The defence ministry has been in talks with Polish and South African companies to launch joint production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), while also exploring possibilities of joint ventures with the Czech Republic.
Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Zakir Hasanov, signed a bilateral cooperation plan in Tbilisi on October 5.
The document was signed as part of Hasanov’s official visit to Georgia, where he had meetings with the Georgian high-ranking political and military leadership, the report added.
At the meeting, the military officials discussed the military-political situation in the region and stressed the importance of mutual support for the territorial integrity of the two countries. It was noted that the development of bilateral military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Georgia will ensure regional stability and security.
The sides also appreciated the steady development of relations in the defence sphere between the two countries, according to reports.
Georgia’s National Security Council reported on October 7 that the government has approved the country’s 3rd National Cybersecurity Strategy. It will cover 2021-2024.
The document established four priorities: developing an information society, and cyberculture at organisations; a resilient cybersecurity governance system and strengthening public-private partnership; enhancing cyber capabilities with a strong cyber workforce and relevant technical support; and strengthening Georgia’s position as a net contributor to cybersecurity internationally.
The strategy, approved by Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili on September 30, identified two core threat groups: cyberwar, information warfare, cyber espionage and cyberattacks run by state actors, and secondly, cybercrime, including attacks on critical infrastructure.
Discussing cyberwar, the strategy highlights that Russia carries out information warfare against Georgia, including through propaganda and disinformation, accompanied by an increasing number of advanced persistent threats aimed at unauthorised access to public and private critical information systems. Noting that organisations handling the critical information systems and services cannot ensure an “appropriate level of cybersecurity,” the document stressed the need for bolstering said security capacities.
Recalling the 2008 Russian cyber-attacks on the Georgian public and private sector, the document stressed that Russia remains the main threat for the country in terms of cyber-warfare.
As for cybercrime, the document lists phishing, ransomware, defacing, distributed denial of service and mail spoofing as some of the most prevalent forms of cybercrime in the country. According to the strategy, commercial entities are being increasingly targeted by cybercrime, alongside state agencies.
The National Security Council said the document was penned in close cooperation with civil society, as well as the private sector, and with the
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