WARSAW, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The fifth edition of the European Cybersecurity Forum, the most important event on cybersecurity in central and eastern Europe, kicked off Tuesday in the Polish city of Katowice.

The two-day event features numerous discussions, among others, on the topics of securing the 5G infrastructure, digital democracy, the digital transformation of financial services, NATO digital capabilities and hybrid threats.

The forum, the biggest cybersecurity expo in the central and eastern European region, is taking place on the sidelines of the conference at the Katowice International Congress Center.

"Poland wants to play a leading role in cybersecurity in the Visegrad group and in the Three Seas Initiative, as well as by increasing the potential of our region in the European Union," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told participants via a letter that was read out by Izabela Albright from the independent think-tank Kosciuszko Institute, one of the organizers.

"New possibilities derived from using technology linked to the 5G network development, such as smart cities and automated cars, are within the reach of Polish firms and scientists. I want Poland to be a leader, not only in using those technologies, but also in creating innovative solutions for data processing," Morawiecki said in his letter, adding that all new developments should happen in line with the highest cybersecurity standards.

The prime minister noted that the Polish government recently adopted the country's national cybersecurity strategy, setting out directions of action for the following five years.

The cybersecurity forum is a public policy conference dedicated to strategic security aspects of the global technology revolution.

According to the organizers, the goal of the conference is to "foster the building of a Europe-wide cybersecurity system and to create a dedicated, collaborative platform for the governments, international organizations and key private sector companies."