Strengthening Cyber Resilience in the Western Balkans

The National Cyber Security Authority of Albania (AKSK) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, in cooperation with the Observer Research Foundation America and the Albania Sustainable Development Organization (ASDO), organized a regional cyber policy dialogue on 16-17 October 2025, in Tirana, Albania. The event brought together 50 participants from government, business and civil society from the six Western Balkan countries. The agenda of the meeting addressed ways to improve regional cooperation in cyber defense, incident response, cyber diplomacy and capacity building.

Director General of AKSK, Mr. Igli Tafa, stated:

There is still a significant gap in cybersecurity across the Western Balkans. Challenges in this space cannot be tackled alone—only through collaboration and joint capacity building can we make progress together.

Ernst Noorman, Ambassador at Large for Cyber Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, said:

Cybersecurity requires a multistakeholder presence—it’s not just a government issue, but one
that involves the whole of society. As digitalization drives efficiency, the challenges grow more complex.
Coordinated action and mutual trust are essential if we are to move forward together.

This dialogue builds on the results of previous meetings held in Tirana, Albania in November 2024, in-person meetings in Skopje, North Macedonia, in June 2022 and September 2023.