First Italy-Albania Dialogue on cyber issues

The first Italy-Albania Dialogue on cyber issues took place on 21 October at the Farnesina, attended by senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and national cybersecurity agencies.

The initiative forms part of the close bilateral relations between Rome and Tirana and of Italy's support for Albania's path towards accession to the European Union. In particular, the Dialogue implements the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of cybersecurity between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs and between the two national cybersecurity agencies.

The meeting, opened by the Secretary-General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia, and his Albanian counterpart, Ambassador Armand Skapi, provided an opportunity for a fruitful exchange of views on the landscape of cyber threats, national policies in this field, the implementation of the UN framework of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, and the strengthening of resilience within the NATO framework. The two delegations therefore identified concrete opportunities for cooperation, ranging from the development of cyber skills to the exchange of best practice, with a particular focus on Albania's efforts to align with European regulations on cyber security and resilience.