ASTANA – Kazakhstan is ready for dialogue and cooperation with the BRICS countries in cybersecurity matters, said Kazakh Ambassador to South Africa Yerkin Akhinzhanov at a July 24 expanded meeting of the BRICS High Representatives for Security Issues with the participation of BRICS member countries and Friends of BRICS in Johannesburg, reported the Foreign Ministry’s press service.
The event was attended by the BRICS member states (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and a group of states known as the Friends of the BRICS – Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The meeting participants addressed the urgent problems facing the countries in cybersecurity, and multilateral cooperation, including the rules of state behavior, international law, and confidence-building measures.
Akhinzhanov, in his welcoming speech, noted the importance of joint efforts of all states in solving cybersecurity problems. According to him, for many years, Kazakhstan has attached key importance to ensuring security in cyberspace. Astana has developed basic conceptual approaches in this area, notably the national concept of digital cybersecurity.
On the sidelines of the BRICS meeting, Akhinzhanov met with Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister in the Presidency responsible for the State Security Agency of South Africa. The sides discussed bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Astana and Pretoria.