The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) of The Netherlands have signed an MOU (memorandum of understanding) to foster a secure cyber space.

David Koh, chief executive of CSA, and Patricia Zorko head of the NCSC signed the MOU at the Cyber Resilient Nation Seminar 2016.

According to the CSA, the agreement commits both parties to regular bilateral exchanges, sharing of cyber security best practices and strategies aimed at protected critical information infrastructures as well as access to training and workshops.

Koh says that The Netherlands and Singapore share close ties and the two countries are important hubs for maritime, aviation, telecommunications, banking and finance.

“A successful cyber-attack on any of these critical information infrastructures could have a knock-on effect on other critical infrastructures within the region and even globally. It is therefore important for us to collaborate to enhance the security and resilience of our cyberspace,” says Koh.

Zorko commented that in order to achieve global cyber security, it is important to look beyond their national borders.

“Singapore and The Netherlands are in distance far apart, yet very similar: we are both highly connected and worldwide front runners in the field of cyber security and innovation. Both our countries are also important digital main-ports in our regions: the Netherlands in Europe and Singapore in Southeast Asia,” she says.

“We both want to make full use of the opportunities of digital world and at the same time need to guard ourselves to its potential threats. This MOU paves the way for strengthening the cooperation between our countries in the field of cyber security.

The MOU is set to last for an initial period of two years.