Vietnam and Russia have issued a joint statement on their cooperation in safeguarding international information security following a meeting between Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin

The meeting took place in Da Nang on November 10 within the framework of the ongoing APEC Economic Leaders’ Week. 

The leaders noted remarkable progresses in the development and use of information technology and communications (ITC), creating a global information environment that has increasingly impacted people’s daily life. 

They expressed their concern that modern ITC would be used to serve purposes that don’t benefit international security, stability and peace, and would become direct threats to citizens, societies and states. 

Given this, the two sides consented to build and consolidate common trust, guarantee information security for major national security projects, and prevent the use of ITC for terrorism and other crimes.

At the same time, they will transfer technologies, cooperate in expert training, exchange information and experience in cyber crime combat, join hands in internet management internationalisation and show their close-knit ties at international mechanisms and forums. 

The two sides will regularly organise bilateral inter-sectoral consultations on international information security, including preparations for and signing of bilateral agreements on cooperation in ensuring international information security. 

The Presidents were unanimous in the need to enhance collaboration between Vietnam and Russia within the UN, especially within the International Telecommunication Union in the field of internet management internationalisation.

Regarding international cooperation in this field, the two Presidents shared the views that standards and principles or codes of conduct for information security of countries should be rolled out under the sponsorship of the UN, in order to ensure equal security for all countries, national sovereignty over information and communications infrastructure in their territory, and no intervention into internal affairs of countries. 

They voiced their support for the prevention and peaceful settlement of conflicts between countries that may emerge as results of ITC destruction and illegal use. 

The leaders held that ensuring national information security needs united actions at bilateral, multilateral, regional and global levels within the framework of the UN. 

They called on the international community to set forth necessary measures to prevent the use of ITC violating independence and sovereignty, intervening into internal affairs of countries, and serving the purposes of terrorism and other crimes.-VNA