Indian envoy holds meeting with French diplomats to discuss multilateralism, cybersecurity

Indian envoy Jawed Ashraf met advisors to President Emmanuel Macron on October 14 and committed to deepening the strong Strategic Partnership between the two countries. During his meeting with Diplomatic Advisor Emmanuel Bonne and Special Military Advisor Admiral Rolland, the Indian Ambassador to France also committed to reforming “multilateralism for a multipolar world,” a term frequently used by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during summit meetings.

Later in the day, Ashraf also held a meeting with Henri Verdier, Ambassador for Digital Affairs Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs where they discussed on bilateral and international cooperation to secure cyberspace and create opportunities for people through digital partnership. The meeting over digital cooperation and cybersecurity comes amid ASEAN-India Track 1.5 Dialogue on Cyber Issues.

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Summit on Cyber Issues

The second edition of ASEAN-India Track 1.5 Dialogue on Cyber Issues focussed on cybersecurity on the backdrop of coronavirus related frauds. The virtual summit was organised by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs. Addressing the inaugural session, Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary (East) in MEA, said that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the 'digitisation' and ‘cyberisation’ of engagements as Work from Home has become a new norm.

“Dependence on virtual platforms has risen steeply. There is a greater dependence on digital payment platforms due to reduced cash handling. Greater data sharing is happening online. Presence on social media has also increased,” Singh told the summit.

The Indian diplomat highlighted the key role of digital technologies in keeping the supply chains open for an accelerated and sustainable economic recovery in the region. He said that the increasing dependence on digital technologies calls for measures to secure the cyber domain from malicious actors. Citing an INTERPOL assessment report of the COVID-19 cybercrime impact on Asia and the South Pacific region, Singh said that major cybersecurity trends include COVID-19 related frauds, phishing campaigns and online sale of fake medical supplies and PPEs.

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(Image: Twitter / @Indian_Embassy)