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Lukashenka announces plans to create system to protect national cyberspace after example of China

 

Alyaksandr Lukashenka suggested Monday that Belarus should create a system to protect the national cyberspace after the example of China.

“The planet has already entered into an era of undeclared cyber wars, and we have no right to lose in these wars,” the Belarusian leader said, speaking at a gathering held in Minsk on the occasion of forthcoming Independence Day (July 3). “Of course, we are not able to fully withstand global technologies by acting alone. That is why we should dramatically step up cooperation with our allies, particularly with the People's Republic of China, a country that has succeeded in creating an efficient system for the protection of the national cyberspace.”

“I think I’ll be able soon – in the next few days – to seriously discuss this problem with the president of China,” Mr. Lukashenka said.

“Belarus should, in cooperation with other countries, our friends and allies, counter attempts to establish a global electronic dictatorship,” he said. “Our networks, databases, communications channels, state secrets, and also the privacy of our citizens should be reliably protected from any foreign encroachments.”

The most serious among the current threats is that to the information security of the country, Mr. Lukashenka noted. “This does not mean that we want to block ourselves off from the rest of the world or somehow restrict lawful liberties of our citizens with regard to the Internet,” he said. “On the contrary, we have set the strategic goal of accelerating the ICT development of the country. We’ll soon step up our effort in this regard. Technological backwardness in the ICT sphere is also one of the most serious challenges to independence. We should not only prevent backwardness but also make Belarus at least a regional leader in the development of a digital economy and the use of ICT in all aspects of life.”

“It is this area that the struggle for our independence will focus on in the coming years," Mr. Lukashenka said. The ability to successfully meet these challenges will determine the real independence of Belarus, he noted. // BelaPAN