The closed-door negotiations began Tuesday after months of preparations, the French newspaper L’Opinion cited its sources as saying. Russia’s Embassy in Paris has not commented on the issue.
The aim is to agree a "peace treaty," the publication said, which would prevent the four powers from clashing in the cyberspace, much like mechanisms used to avoid aerial clashes.
The outlet stressed the talks, held at an undisclosed military site, did not concern fake news, but rather possible situations where the nations’ strategic, vital interests could be at stake.
The reported talks took place two weeks after French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian called the security in cyberspace a 'major challenge' that requires 'an innovative response'. According to him, private actors and non-profits have a big role to play in the fight against cyber threats, while arguing that the states retained the legal right to intervene in cyberspace to prevent the destabilization of the democratic practices or electoral process.
READ MORE: French Minister Calls for 'Innovative Response' to Cybersecurity Challenges
Shortly before that, French President Emmanuel Macron launched the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace initiative, a declaration on developing common cybersecurity principles, at the UNESCO Internet Governance Forum.