U.S. and Czech officials covered a wide range of cyber and digital issues.  Both sides reiterated their commitment to promote an open, free, global, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet and a stable cyberspace, and to protect and respect human rights online. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to counter authoritarian state actors’ malign behavior in cyberspace.

Officials stressed the importance of protecting the information-integrity environment and protecting against all forms of its erosion.  They discussed the importance of building safeguards in digital public infrastructure to protect user safety and privacy while promoting inclusivity.  Officials also exchanged best practices about protecting children in the digital space.

Both sides noted growing malicious cyber activities from state and non-state actors against critical infrastructure.  The United States and the Czech Republic exchanged views on recent developments in national strategies and policies.  Both sides discussed avenues for increasing collaboration, including by strengthening information sharing between Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) on cyber threats and vulnerabilities, collaborating on cyber exercises, addressing the risks posed by AI in the context of cybersecurity, and confronting the challenges of quantum-resistant cryptography.

Underlying the serious threat posed by ransomware, both sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in countering cybercrime and disruption of malicious cyber actors, including within the International Counter Ransomware Initiative.  The Czech Republic recalled its recent participation in operation DYING EMBER, an international effort to remediate over a thousand compromised routers belonging to unsuspecting victims in the United States and around the world that were targeted by malicious, nation state actors in Russia to facilitate their strategic intelligence collection.  Both sides discussed mutual actions to reinforce deterrence posture, including development of cyber capabilities, preparedness in cyberspace, and attribution of malicious cyber behavior.

The United States and the Czech Republic underscored the importance of transatlantic cooperation in emerging and disruptive technologies.  The sides decided to expand bilateral cooperation with a particular emphasis on AI and quantum technologies, including in the field of research and development in quantum sciences and quantum computing, and to explore new avenues for bilateral engagement of their respective research institutions and industries. Both sides also exchanged views on relevant regulatory approaches in the field of AI and decided to continue collaboration on promoting responsible AI innovation that respect human rights, safety, and shared democratic values, including within the Global Partnership on AI.

On cyber diplomacy, both sides discussed the progress of the Open-Ended Working Group on the Use of ICTs in the context of international security, the status of the Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime, and the commitment to continue collaboration in international organizations.  The United States and the Czech Republic decided to further coordinate efforts on resilience and cyber capacity building in other countries and regions, including but not limited, to Ukraine, the Western Balkans, Latin American and Caribbean regions, as well as the Indo-Pacific.

Jennifer Bachus, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the U.S. Department of State and Kateřina Sequensová, Director General for Non-European Countries, Economic and Development Cooperation launched the dialogue with opening remarks that highlighted the U.S-Czech Republic relationship and cooperation on cyber and digital issues.  The dialogue was chaired by Liesyl Franz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cyberspace Security for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the U.S. Department of State, and Ambassador Richard Kadlčák, Special Envoy for Cyberspace at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.  The United States was also represented by the Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, the Department of Defense, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Security Agency, and the Department of Commerce.  The Czech Republic was represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Cyber and Information Security Agency, Office of the Government, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Prosecutor General’s Office, National Organized Crime Agency, National Centre for Terrorism, Extremism and Cyber Crime, Ministry of Defense, Cyber Forces Command and intelligence agencies.

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