The National Cyber Security Authority of Albania and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, in cooperation with the Observer Research Foundation America and the Albania Sustainable Development Organization, hosted a regional cyber policy dialogue on October 16-17, 2025, in Tirana, Albania. The event brought together 50 expert participants from government, business, and civil society from the Western Balkans. The agenda of the meeting addressed ways to improve regional cooperation in cyber defense, incident response, cyber diplomacy, and capacity building.
Welcoming remarks were provided by Reinout Vos, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Albania, Igli Tafa, Director General of the National Cyber Security Authority of Albania, and Ernst Noorman, Ambassador at Large for Cyber Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. 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 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, added, “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.”
The dialogue built on previous editions, including an in-person meeting in Tirana, Albania, in November 2024, in-person meetings in Skopje, North Macedonia, in June 2022 and September 2023, and virtual meetings in April 2021 and April 2025.
This was part of a larger Global Cyber Policy Dialogue Series organized by ORF America and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, which seeks to convene regional dialogues to address key cyber challenges, strengthen multistakeholder networks, and increase coordination of regional capacity building initiatives.
