India, US reaffirm cooperation in cyber security

Thursday, 11 November 2004, 20:30 IST
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WASHINGTON: The US and India have reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation in cyberspace security by setting up five joint working groups and identifying action plans for each. This was decided during the second meeting of the US-India Cyber Security Forum that concluded Wednesday. The two-day meeting with representation from the government and the industry from each country identified areas for collaboration in combating cybercrime, cyber security research and development, information assurance and defence cooperation, standards and software assurance, and cyber incident management and response. Future efforts will include workshops in New Delhi and Washington and scientific exchanges. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, in prepared remarks, said the forum "holds great promise for future cooperation". The head of the Indian delegation, National Security Council official Arvind Gupta delivered a statement on behalf of National Security Advisor J.N. Dixit: "Securing cyberspace will remain one of the biggest challenges facing the international community for years to come and this Cyber Security Forum has emerged as an important bilateral mechanism to address such issues". The first meeting of the forum was held in New Delhi in April 2002 in recognition of the increasing interdependency between India and the US in the IT arena. Cooperation between the two countries is of growing importance as the US government and corporations utilise IT companies in India at a rate of about $9 billion annually. "As this trend increases, it is crucial that our governments and private industry work together to ensure an environment for secure transactions, networks, and software development," said US head of delegation Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr., state department assistant secretary for political-military affairs.
Source: IANS
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