His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister, delegated Lieutenant General His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, National Security Advisor, Royal Guard Commander and Secretary-General of the Supreme Defence Council, to inaugurate the third edition of the Arab International Cybersecurity Conference and Exhibition (AICS 2025), which is being held this year in strategic partnership with DEF CON for the first time in the region, and will continue until November 6th, 2025 at Exhibition World Bahrain.

The opening ceremony was attended by His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Southern Governor, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme Defence Council, Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer of the National Cyber Security Centre, and a number of ministers and senior officials.

On the occasion, His Highness emphasised that the Kingdom of Bahrain's hosting of this year's conference and its strategic partnership with DEF CON, one of the most prominent conferences specialising in cybersecurity, represent a qualitative step that reflects international confidence in the position that the Kingdom of Bahrain has come to occupy as a leading centre in this vital sector at the regional and international levels.

His Highness said that the conference is a strategic platform that brings together a select group of experts and decision-makers from around the world to exchange knowledge and experiences, and review the latest experiences and technologies in cybersecurity, thereby strengthening regional and international cooperation, supporting the Kingdom of Bahrain's digital development, and consolidating its position as a leading destination in building an advanced cyber system that enhances global digital security and stability.

His Highness added: "The conference is an important opportunity to support the efforts of the National Cyber Security Centre towards building a secure digital and cyber environment, empowering national talent, and raising cyber readiness, through the organisation of technical workshops and specialised training programmes in collaboration with a select group of international institutions and companies".

The conference will witness the signing of a number of agreements and memoranda of cooperation between the participating entities, in a step aimed at enhancing regional and international cooperation in the development of cyber policies and programmes, in addition to launching new initiatives to build national capacities and empower young talents in cybersecurity.