India key to global cybersecurity, says Germany's Maria Adebahr

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Maria Adebahr, Director for Cyber, Foreign and Security Policy at Germany's Federal Foreign Office, praised India's strategic importance in the evolving digital landscape.

"This conference here is a wonderful opportunity to deepen the ties with India. India is such an important country to work with, given the geopolitical situation," she said, adding that global democracies must collaborate to create a cyberspace that is secure, transparent, and accessible to all. Adebahr emphasised that artificial intelligence must be both inclusive and secure by design. "India is a very good example because with your population, services and digital services," she noted.

Earlier during the summit, Jon Simonsson, Senior Director at the Swedish Prime Minister's Office, commended India's innovation ecosystem and its potential to lead in high-tech development. He noted the country's strong knowledge base and favourable conditions for innovation, while stressing the need for greater institutional support for students and entrepreneurs.

"They need to make it easier for students and entrepreneurs to go this way and do things," he said. He also pointed to the importance of financing in nurturing the sector, saying, "Some capital is needed, but as more than 100 unicorns are based in India, startups can invest in these areas and do exactly how DeepSeek is doing."

Simonsson's views echoed broader discussions regarding regulatory reforms at the summit. Lt. Gen. (Retd) Raj Shukla, a Member of the Union Public Service Commission, highlighted that India's breakthrough in ventures like DeepSeek stems from talent-driven algorithmic innovation. He urged for deregulation to unleash India's full potential. "We need innovation, but innovations and regulations don't go together," he said, stressing that the country "has to deregulate hugely" for talent to truly take off.

Throughout the summit, delegates underscored that India's leadership in deep learning and AI hinges not only on talent and startups, but on fostering an environment that values openness, experimentation, and long-term investment.