Cybercrime

A two-day Forum dedicated to enhancing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for co-operation between Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) and law enforcement agencies convened in Yerevan, Armenia, from 3 to 4 September 2026. The event was supported by the CyberEast+, a joint project of the European Union and of the Council of Europe, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen action against cyberattacks and promoting stakeholders’ collaboration.

The Forum brought together representatives of the national CSIRTs, law enforcement bodies, judicial authorities, cybersecurity industry actors and Council of Europe international experts. During the event participants addressed roles and responsibilities, cross-border co-operation frameworks, effective means of reporting and categorisation of cyber incidents, legal compliance and sensitive data handling, as well as evidence preservation and applying digital forensics. Armenian representatives also focussed on good practices for using Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) to develop comprehensive cyber threat analyses.  

Ms. Astghik Baldryan, Counsellor for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Armenia, opened the Forum with remarks emphasising the critical importance of robust co-operation mechanisms in protecting digital infrastructure and upholding the rule of law in cyberspace. Highlighting the relevance of the national discussion on the update and finalisation of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for co-operation between CSIRTs and law enforcement, Ms. Baldryan encouraged the participating institutions to use the SOPs, once discussed and endorsed, as a common standard for co-operation during incident response.

As the main outcome, a new, timeline-based SOPs structure was prepared, which will ensure that these principles cater to the specific needs of Armenian stakeholders, and that they can be successfully put into practice. Participants also identified pertinent activities to operationalise the updated SOPs, which are expected to be implemented during 2027, with the assistance of partner authorities from the Republic of Armenia.

The CyberEast+ project will continue to support co-operation between criminal justice and cybersecurity responses to cyberthreats in the Republic of Armenia through dedicated capacity building initiatives.

CyberEast+ Project

Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)