Azerbaijan bans foreigners from founding cybersecurity service provider

Azerbaijan has adopted a bill according to which a citizen of a foreign state will not be able to be the founder of a cybersecurity service provider, Report informs.

The draft was adopted for voting in the first reading at today’s plenary session of the parliament.

In this regard, a new paragraph 20-3.5 is added to the Law “On Information, Informatization and Protection of Information.”

According to the amendment, the founder of a provider of cybersecurity services to critical information infrastructure entities and its authorized representative, as well as the head of the provider's activities for the security of critical information infrastructure and other employees involved in this activity, must be the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Another amendment to the law allows the competent authority to require the subject of a critical information infrastructure to comply with the requirements for ensuring the security of this infrastructure.

The draft amendments were discussed and adopted in the third reading at today’s parliamentary session.