Da Nang (VNA) – Vietnam andRussia have issued a joint statement on their cooperation in safeguardinginternational information security following a meeting between VietnamesePresident Tran Dai Quang and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The meeting took place in Da Nang onNovember 10 within the framework of the ongoing APEC Economic Leaders’ Week.

The leaders noted remarkable progressesin the development and use of information technology and communications (ITC),creating a global information environment that has increasingly impacted people’sdaily life.

They expressed their concern that modern ITC would be used to serve purposesthat don’t benefit international security, stability and peace, and wouldbecome direct threats to citizens, societies and states.

Given this, the two sides consented to build and consolidate common trust,guarantee information security for major national security projects, andprevent the use of ITC for terrorism and other crimes.

At the same time, they will transfer technologies, cooperate in expert training,exchange information and experience in cyber crime combat, join hands ininternet management internationalisation and show their close-knit ties atinternational mechanisms and forums.

The two sides will regularly organise bilateral inter-sectoral consultations oninternational information security, including preparations for and signing of bilateralagreements on cooperation in ensuring international information security.

The Presidents were unanimous in the need to enhance collaboration betweenVietnam and Russia within the UN, especially within the International TelecommunicationUnion in the field of internet management internationalisation.

Regarding international cooperation in this field, the two Presidents sharedthe views that standards and principles or codes of conduct for informationsecurity of countries should be rolled out under the sponsorship of the UN, inorder to ensure equal security for all countries, national sovereignty overinformation and communications infrastructure in their territory, and nointervention into internal affairs of countries.

They voiced their support for the prevention and peaceful settlement ofconflicts between countries that may emerge as results of ITC destruction andillegal use.

The leaders held that ensuring national information security needs unitedactions at bilateral, multilateral, regional and global levels within theframework of the UN.

They called on the international community to set forth necessary measures toprevent the use of ITC violating independence and sovereignty, intervening intointernal affairs of countries, and serving the purposes of terrorism and othercrimes.-VNA