Prilep, 20 November 2023 (MIA) - The data protection center is of vital importance for the country because its establishment ensures long-term protection of citizens' data, and thus permanent protection of the security system, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski in a visit to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Center in Prilep, alongside Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski and Minister of Transport and Communications Blagoj Bochvarski. The project is worth EUR 11 million, of which EUR 3.4 million from the EU's IPA programme, and is the first of its kind in the region built by a state institution for the needs of the country.

"With the ICT center, we ensured a permanent investment in data protection within the primary information system in case of natural or man-made catastrophes. The government is committed to responding to modern challenges, most importantly, cybersecurity and abuse in the internet sphere that can seriously threaten national, regional and international security. That is why we invest in the implementation of such large projects, and to prove that we keep in step with global security trends. I call on all institutions that work with large databases to use this facility to store their data and back-up data, because it is the most advanced and most secure facility not only in the country, but the region as well. I am sure that all of our efforts will be appreciated, mainly by citizens who deserve more and better," Kovachevski said.

The largest forensic lab in the region, and the first one of its kind, was opened in October. In a period of 6 years, from 2017 to 2023, 80 police facilities were completely or partially reconstructed for EUR 8 million.

"For the first time in the history of forensic investigation in the country, we are improving the working conditions in the Interior Ministry, by ensuring the work of the police, judiciary and prosecutors with modern facilities and equipment to help improve their investigations," Kovachevski noted.

Interior Minister Spasovski believes that the ICT center is already effective in protecting data from catastrophes and cyber-attacks. Four agreements have already been made with institutions to store vital data in the facility. 

"The facility, the level of protection and the area where it is built is protected according to the highest standards. The area is seismically stable. Its practical role is, if for example a disaster were to happen somewhere in the country, which would disable border control systems, immediately, in a few seconds, they will be transferred to a back-up variant in the ICT, and it would be applied to all segments of the system. We already signed agreements with four institutions, and we are negotiating with a fifth one, to store data in the facility. It is very important to protect data, according to the latest cyber-data. Cyber-attacks and the destruction of data can have an even more devastating effect than anything else," Spasovski said. ssh/nn/

Photo: MIA