Special Representative Kyriakos Hadjiyianni chairs the forum in Ohrid, 27 March 2026OHRID, NORTH MACEDONIA, 28 March 2026 – Some 20 parliamentarians gathered in Ohrid on 26-28 March for the fifth Inter-Parliamentary Forum, organized by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on South East Europe, Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (Cyprus). Hosted by the Head of the Delegation of North Macedonia to the OSCE PA, Monika Zajkova, and supported by the Parliament of North Macedonia, the forum provided a platform for lawmakers from South East Europe and beyond to engage in substantive discussions with experts aimed at enhancing regional co-operation on cybersecurity.
The forum opened with remarks by the Speaker of the Parliament of North Macedonia, Afrim Gashi; OSCE PA President Pere Pons (Spain); OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella; Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje Ambassador Kilian Wahl; OSCE PA Vice-Presidents Eugenio Zoffili (Italy) and Kyriakos Hadjiyianni; and Monika Zajkova. Contributions were also made by cyber experts from North Macedonia and Albania, as well as representatives of OSCE PA delegations from Albania, Croatia, Greece, France, Italy, Luxemburg and North Macedonia.
At the closing, participants agreed to a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to enhanced co-operation in the field of cybersecurity to strengthen resilience against cyber threats, combat cybercrime, and protect critical digital infrastructure.
Speaker Afrim Gashi underscored at the opening session that the holding of this forum confirms a shared commitment to deepening regional co-operation, strengthening trust, and building a sustainable and secure future.
“In times of rapid technological transformations, our societies face new, complex, and often invisible threats, which require a new way of thinking and acting,” he said. “Therefore, the response to these challenges cannot be individual; it must necessarily be collective. No state, regardless of its capacity, can handle cyber threats alone. We need strong, co-ordinated, and essential regional co-operation.”
OSCE PA President Pere Pons (Spain) addressed the forum via video message and underlined the importance of initiating a dialogue on cybersecurity, disinformation and fake news. “Nowadays in all meetings and summits, this is a transversal issue that we all are tackling; we are all concerned about how to response to cyberattacks, cybersecurity threats and of course to disinformation and it is fundamental that we have answers to these current challengies,” he said.
“We often say that the OSCE PA is a platform for dialogue,” Secretary General Roberto Montella underlined. “When we say this, we truly mean it. It is a space where parliamentarians from different countries and different political groups come together to discuss issues of common concern, even when perspectives differ. Dialogue is not always easy, but it is essential.”
Montella added that “OSCE field operations have played and continue to play a crucial role in institution-building and capacity development across the region.”
Ambassador Kilian Wahl stated: “Across South-Eastern Europe and globally, cyber threats are growing in scale, speed, and sophistication. Criminal activity, state-linked operations, and institutional fragmentation are converging in ways that challenge even well-resourced systems. Behind every cyber incident, however, there is a human impact. Nowhere is this more visible than in the digital lives of children and adolescents. In North Macedonia, many students navigate serious online risks without cybersecurity or digital safety being meaningfully addressed in schools.”
“This is why cybersecurity is not only a security issue; it is also about child protection and fundamental rights,” Ambassador Wahl concluded.
Vice-President and Special Representative Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (Cyprus) highlighted the purpose of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of South East Europe Delegations as working together on issues of common interest, strengthening trust, and reinforcing a commitment to stability, security, and co-operation. “Parliaments have a crucial role to play in this effort,” he said. “As legislators and representatives of our citizens, we are responsible for shaping effective legal frameworks, ensuring oversight of cybersecurity policies, and promoting co-operation between governments, institutions, and the private sector.”
Vice-President Eugenio Zoffili stated: “Cybersecurity is crucial in the fight against organized crime and is notably a very important tool against drug trafficking. Drugs are the main source of funding for criminal organizations, and inter-parliamentary co-operation on these issues is necessary, urgent and concretely possible. Thanks to the OSCE, we have the opportunity to co-ordinate national legislation in order to achieve the best results together.”
He added the global drug market is growing rapidly, with dark web platforms, encrypted channels and digital payments transforming the way in which criminal organizations produce, organize and distribute drugs. “Cyber units,” he pointed out, “as well as the institutions that monitor and control the digital environment, are also involved in this challenge.”
Monika Zajkova addresses the forum in Ohrid, 27 March 2026Monika Zajkova underlined that parliaments have a central, indispensable, and evolving role to play.
“We must not merely be observers of technological change; we must lead the normative responses to those changes,” Zajkova said. “The rapid pace of technological development requires parliaments to constantly adapt legislation, to invest in building modern institutional capacities, and to ensure that national cybersecurity measures remain effective against increasingly sophisticated forms of criminal activity. What was sufficient two or three years ago may be obsolete today.”
The forum featured two working sessions with expert participation and interactive discussions with parliamentarians. Speakers included Stefan Andonovski, Minister of Digital Transformation of North Macedonia; Dr. Metodi Hadji Janev, specialist in digitalization and cybersecurity; Steven A. Newton, Principal Cyber Capacity Engineer at MITRE Corporation; Dr. Orce Simov, President of the Committee for Economic Communication at the Agency for Electronic Communications; Edward Anderson, Head of Department for Public Safety and Community Outreach at the OSCE Mission in Skopje; and Fatlir Beqo of the National Cyber Security Authority of Albania.
Key messages from experts highlighted the importance of sharing information on cyber attacks, noting that withholding information does not provide protection. They emphasized the need for training staff in governmental and public institutions to counter external threats, as well as the importance of moving from co-operation to operational collaboration in cybersecurity across South East Europe. Strengthening joint training efforts and regional unity was underscored as essential, with participants noting that “unity is our strongest firewall.”
On the second day, participants of the forum took part in a thematic and cultural programme in the Ohrid region.
Following previous meetings held in Albania, Montenegro, Greece and Italy, this forum marked a continuation of intensive parliamentary engagement within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The Assembly remains committed to supporting the South East Europe Forum and similar initiatives aimed at advancing regional, subregional and thematic co-operation.
For the Final Declaration of the Participants at the Fifth Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the South East Europe Delegations to the OSCE PA on Cybersecurity, please click here.
Photos of the forum are available for public use on Flickr.
For more on the work of the Special Representative on South East Europe, please click here.
