SEPT. 11, 2019

Chile and the United Kingdom sign a cooperation agreement on cybersecurity

The agreement is designed to protect security in cyberspace. It promotes information exchange and proposes a binational working group to increase cyber defense.

Chile and the United Kingdom signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cyber security yesterday afternoon at a ceremony led by Chile’s Treasury Minister, Felipe Larraín, and the UK’s Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, Andrew Stephenson.

 The MoU enables mutual cooperation on matters of cybersecurity and defense, crucial topics for both countries, which the Chilean government has designated as strategic priorities.

 “In the next six months we will be submitting a bill to Congress that aims primarily to make Chile a regional financial center. Cybersecurity is therefore an essential standard that we are developing and must fulfill as a country in order to generate the necessary confidence. It is part of the strategy that has been defined by the President of Chile,” explained Minister Larraín after signing the agreement on behalf of Chile.

 The Presidential Advisor on Cybersecurity, Mario Farren, explained that the benefits of signing this MoU include exchange of information on cybersecurity, the opportunity to set up a binational working group and, in parallel, make progress in working with Great Britain. “The United Kingdom is a world leader on cybersecurity issues. We can learn a lot from them as we incorporate experiences and create a culture of cybersecurity throughout society, recognizing that enjoying cyberspace is part of freedom and, thus, part of democracy,” added Mr. Farren.

 This agreement – like existing agreements with Spain, Israel, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and the OAS – also includes collaborative work between Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRT), education and technical training for public and private stakeholders.