India, Australia discuss cyber threat assessment, next-gen telecommunications capacity building

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India and Australia on Thursday discussed strategic cooperation in the cyber sector, including cyber threat assessment, next-generation telecommunications capacity building and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

India and Australia convened their fifth Bilateral Cyber Policy Dialogue which was co-chaired by Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary, Cyber Diplomacy Division, Muanpuii Saiawi and Tobias Feakin, Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The Cyber Policy Dialogue held here was organised under the auspices of the India-Australia Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation and Plan of Action 2020-2025 for a comprehensive and deeper cyber cooperation.

The Indian delegation consisted of senior officials from National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MeitY), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), CERT-In and National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC).

The Australian delegation consisted of senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Home Affairs, Department of Industry Science and Resources, and the Australian Federal Police.

The Cyber Policy Dialogue provides a bilateral platform to discuss a range of high-profile issues of mutual interest.

Discussions at this dialogue included strategic priorities, cyber threat assessment, next-generation telecommunications capacity building including 5G technology, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and the latest developments in cyber at the United Nations, the statement said.

Australia and India agreed to explore opportunities for further collaboration with the private sector and academia, including through the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership, it said.

Australia and India will jointly conduct a cyber boot camp, as well as cyber and tech policy exchanges, in collaboration with Indo-Pacific partners, the MEA said.

The sixth India-Australia Cyber Policy Dialogue will be held in 2023.