Cybersecurity is directly related to the national security of every country, Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said during a conference on Energy and Urban Cybersecurity, Bulgaria 2019, Focus News Agency reported.

"The topic is directly related to the security of each government sector. When it comes to energy and cybersecurity, the two are closely related. We all know how important the energy sector is to a country’s economy, it is a sector that is also directly linked to the national security," the minister said.

"Any cybersecurity issue in the energy sector can lead to very serious risks for the state, in terms of its economic and social development. That is why we in the energy industry take a very responsible look at the topic of cybersecurity," she said.

“It is not by chance that the Ministry of Energy is one of the four departmental centres in the country that have been designated as the competent authority for network and information security.

The ministry has developed a series of measures that will allow coordination between all companies in such a crucial area that is cybersecurity,” said Petkova.