Cyprus is the first EU country to join the Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO), which promotes cross-border digital trade and investment.
Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Kyriacos Kokkinos, signed the accession documents with DCO Secretary-General Deema Al-Yahya, in Nicosia.
He said Cyprus, as the first EU member state to join the DCO, “has a lot to offer in this multilateral equation.”
“We have achieved tremendous progress in developing our digital economy, investing in gigabit connectivity and emerging technologies, promoting innovative entrepreneurship and facilitating the digital transformation of businesses, and implementing an aggressive e-government agenda.
“We strongly believe that collaboration within the Organisation will be crucial in all members achieving their own economic development goals.”
He said Cyprus aspires to act as a bridge between nations, people and ideas, facilitating communication, collaboration and knowledge transfer while paving the way for others to join.
Kokkinos believes DCO “will continue to grow and scale its activities, magnifying the impact of international cooperation in accelerating the growth of the digital economy and building a unified, stable and prosperous world.”
Al Yahya said, “Cyprus is not only our eleventh member country but also our first European member state.”
She called it “a significant milestone” in the ongoing expansion of the DCO, and they were looking forward to tapping into the experience of Cyprus in developing its digital strategies.
“We believe that by sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices among our member states and organisations, we can enable member nations to create the best infrastructure, policies, legislation and education that fully enable to build inclusive and equitable digital economies,” she said.
In Cyprus, she said, they see a nation that has already embraced many of these goals, developed the policies and strategies to accelerate its digital economy and has already made significant progress in transforming into a knowledge-based economy.
The DCO supports youth, women and startup entrepreneurs in its member states, with a combined economic output of nearly $2 trillion and a population of 600 million.
The international body, which includes Saudi Arabia, aims to promote prosperity, social stability and growth of the digital economy by unifying efforts to advance digital transformation.
DCO was created to offer governments the tools, policies and guidance to facilitate their digital transformation
