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Deputy secretary general of the Estonian Defense Ministry Taimar Peterkop and the head of the French General Staff's Cyber Defense Unit, Rear Adm. Arnaud Coustilliere, have agreed to intensify cyber defense cooperation.
Estonia, France to step up cyber defense cooperation
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«France is one of the most adept countries at cyber defense in the world, and Estonia, in turn, has a unique experience with cyber attacks and expert knowledge from the Tallinn-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence,» Peterkop was quoted as saying by spokespeople for the ministry after the meeting with the French delegation at the Defense Ministry on Wednesday.
France is interested in Estonia's experience of strengthening the cyber defense capability of the defense forces and creating the Cyber Defense League, Peterkop said.
«Estonia for its part has a clear interest in forging close ties between the cyber defense units of the two countries to exchange information and share experiences,» he added.
Estonia wants to cooperate with France in the field of military higher education. «The French have experience in adding cyber themes to the curricula of higher officers, also exchanges of supervisors of cyber defense research work and students between the two countries might be considered,» Peterkop said.
It is a great honor for Estonia to be a close ally of France and to belong to the so-called cyber five with such major powers as the US, the UK, Germany and France, Peterkop said.
Peterkop and the chief of staff of the defense forces, Navy Capt. Igor Schvede, who was also at the meeting, invited the French to take part in the Spring Storm exercise at which cyber incident response, among other things, has been trained for the past two years.
Coustilliere visited the NATO cyber defense center where a French specialist is scheduled to start work at the end of July. He also met with commander of the Estonian defense forces Maj. Gen. Riho Terras.
It is the second time Coustilliere visits Estonia this year, the previous time was in January.