Mr Ossian Smyth, Minister of State at the Government of Ireland, visited Hybrid CoE today to hand over the Letter of Notification to Director Teija Tiilikainen, officially making Ireland the 33rd Participating State of the Centre.
“The increasingly complex geopolitical environment presents a range of security challenges, including from hybrid threats, that are best addressed through international cooperation with like-minded states. Ireland’s decision to join the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, along with 32 other Participating States, will support the further development of our national capacity to detect, protect against and mitigate the harmful effects of hybrid threats, and to share our expertise with like-minded partners,” stated Mr Smyth.
“It is with great pleasure that I welcome Ireland to join Hybrid CoE. We are very happy to intensify cooperation with Irish practitioners and academic experts to counter the ever-changing hybrid threat environment. Ireland will make its valuable contribution to our joint efforts to identify vulnerabilities and enhance strong societal resilience in support of our common values and comprehensive security,” added Director Tiilikainen.
Besides Ireland, the Participating States of the Centre of Excellence include Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Centre cooperates closely with the EU and NATO.
