Manama: In the presence of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and His Excellency Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus, a Data Sovereignty initiative was signed to enhance cooperation in the field of technology and communications between the two countries during His Excellency's official visit to Bahrain.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the agreement was signed by Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, and Dr. Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus. Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, Chief Executive of the Information and eGovernment Authority, stated that the signing grants Cyprus data sovereignty over its subscribers' data hosted in cloud computing centres located in Bahrain. This is in line with Decree Law No. 56 of 2018, which governs the provision of cloud computing services to foreign parties.
Al Qaed highlighted that the initiative represents a significant step in advancing cooperation and exchanging expertise in innovation and digital transformation. The agreement underscores Bahrain's commitment to building strategic partnerships that support digital transformation and enhance technological integration, contributing to the stability and prosperity of the digital economy.
He further emphasized that enhancing cooperation between Bahrain and Cyprus aligns with Bahrain's approach to supporting regional and international cooperation while developing digital infrastructure according to global best practices. Al Qaed noted that this collaboration opens new opportunities for knowledge exchange and the development of joint projects in digital transformation, computing, and data. This will improve the quality of government services, enhance beneficiary experience, and strengthen investment opportunities in the technology sector for the benefit of both countries.