World needs international cooperation on cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is not a theater of war but an area for partnerships, the head of Turkey’s defense industries said Wednesday.

Ismail Demir delivered an address at the opening of the International Cyber Warfare and Security Conference and said a lot of new crime has emerged in recent years due to the developments in technology.

"All those crimes caused us to focus on cybersecurity. All institutions of every country try to protect their military technologies. In the next few years, every country will have to realize that cybersecurity is not a battlefield, it is an area for cooperation," said Demir, who added that international cooperation and consensus on cybersecurity is needed for the safety of communities.

“Nowadays, it is possible to canalize societies by manipulating minds of people. The information on the Internet needs to be verified. People can get a lot of damage due to distorted information or fake news,” he said. “Instead of fighting each other, countries must work together,” he stressed.

Demir said Turkey has spent a lot of effort to develop its technology to protect itself from cyber threats.

He added that Turkey is always ready for cooperation.

* Writing by Fahri Aksut