Türkiye’s Cybersecurity Board held its first meeting at the presidential complex in Ankara under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with officials stressing that cybersecurity is an integral part of national security.
In a written statement after the meeting, the board said issues concerning the country’s cybersecurity were discussed in detail, including current risks, future trends and recent international developments.
The Cybersecurity Presidency will continue its work to protect Türkiye’s digital assets, establish a proactive structure against threats, build a strong national cybersecurity architecture and support a secure digital future, the statement said.
The board also said growing global competition, regional tensions and conflict zones had made cyber threats more complex and multidimensional.
Cybersecurity should therefore be treated as a strategic issue with economic, technological and social dimensions, it added.
The meeting reviewed the main elements of Türkiye’s national cybersecurity approach, with the protection of critical infrastructure, the security of digital systems and capacity-building in domestic technologies named as priority areas.
Data sovereignty was also discussed separately. The board said data was not only a technical matter but also a strategic asset, adding that Türkiye would strengthen its approach to digital sovereignty.
Increasing cyber resilience and deterrence against current and potential threats was also listed among the main goals.
The board agreed to take concrete steps in line with the priorities set at the meeting and to ensure the effective participation of relevant stakeholders.
It also decided to strengthen coordination between institutions and increase domestic and sustainable capacity in critical fields.
Digital infrastructure, digital services, electronic communications, energy, finance, food and agriculture, manufacturing, public services, media and crisis communication, postal and cargo services, health, defense industry, water management, transport and space were designated as critical infrastructure sectors.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu attended the meeting.
National Intelligence Organization chief İbrahim Kalın, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, Presidential Private Secretary Hasan Doğan, Cybersecurity President Ümit Önal, Defense Industries President Haluk Görgün, Presidential Secretary-General Hakkı Susmaz and National Security Council Secretary-General Okay Memiş were also present.
