The Minister of European Integration and International Cooperation of the Republic of Srpska, Zlatan Klokić, said that the Republic of Srpska, if it wanted to become part of the developed and technologically advanced world, had to start looking at digitization, artificial intelligence and cyber security as an integral part of all socio-economic processes.

Opening Infosec, the conference on information security in Jahorina, which gathered 190 participants from the territory of Serbia, Montenegro and BiH, as well as representatives of global companies, Klokić said that digitization, artificial intelligence and cyber security had to be at the core of all development policies of the Government of the Republic of Srpska.

‘The Ministry has recognized the importance of new technologies and the accompanying security challenges, and within its competences and in cooperation with other institutions, it encourages the application, primarily, of European directives and practices for creating a stimulating environment, setting the legislative framework and ultimately – modernizing the way services are provided to our citizens’, noted Klokić.

He expressed satisfaction with the fact that already seven years ago, the Ministry of European Integration and International Cooperation initiated pioneering steps towards digitization of service providing in the economy through the establishment of the One Stop Shop system for company registration.

‘Drafting of the sustainable development strategy of the Republic of Srpska, covering the period from 2024 to 2030, is underway and, as the umbrella and most important development and strategic document of the Government of the Republic of Srpska, it will pay special attention specifically to digitization and preparation for the future with artificial intelligence, while taking into account the security and protection of information as well as critical infrastructure protection. ‘In view of all that, the conference could not have been organized at a better time’, said Klokić.

The minister emphasized the importance of conferences like Infosec offering an opportunity for people and experts in this field to exchange experiences and arriving at conclusions and steps required for the Republic of Srpska to improve the field of cyber security.

According to him, the level of cyber security in the Republic of Srpska, if evaluated on a one to five scale, had a passing grade.

‘However, we must admit that it is not yet at a satisfactory level. It is precisely the experts from the cyber security domain at such conferences that can tell us what the next steps are to take cyber security to a higher level’, added Klokić.

He said that in the coming period the Ministry would work to ensure compliance with all EU directives in terms of user data protection.

Source: Government of the Republic of Srpska – SRNA

Photo: Ministry of European Integration and International Cooperation