Ilves: in the digital world it is not the size of a country that matters

Photo: Presidendi kantselei

The President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, yesterday attended the George Washington University Statesmen Forum as a keynote speaker; on this occasion, the forum focused on cybersecurity, policy and diplomacy.

In introducing Estonia's solutions for ensuring digital security and its visibility worldwide among much larger countries, the Head of State stated that there are no weight divisions in the digital world – it is neither size nor riches that matter, but the ability to develop and apply the smartest solutions.

«After the so-called Snowden Scandal, political leaders and organisations around the world, such as NATO, have begun to perceive the importance of cyber security and the resulting challenges,» told President Ilves. The Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Mike Rogers, and member of the US Congress, Charles Albert "Dutch" Ruppersberger participated with him in the panel discussion, which was moderated by Frank J. Cilluffo, Director of the George Washington University Cybersecurity Initiative.

Aside from cyber defence and the challenges posed by the digital world, the panel discussion of the seminar also focused on current global policy issues, including the situation in Ukraine, where the activities of the leaders of Russia pose a threat to the principles that have to date dictated international relations in Europe and throughout the rest of the world.