The need to tackle illicit culture property trafficking was highlighted by a two-day International Symposium entitled “Cultural Property Protection as an enabler for cooperation in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Gulf region”, which began on Monday at A.G. Leventis Gallery, in Nicosia. The Symposium is under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU.

In her address, Deputy Minister of Culture, Vassiliki Kassianidou, said that “the protection of cultural property is a vital goal and responsibility that we all share and whose success depends greatly on the cooperation of national authorities and on the collaboration at international level.” She also noted that “during the last century governments have begun to fully comprehend the profound and often deliberate damage inflicted upon a country’s national identity and cultural heritage through looting and illicit trafficking.”

Culture Deputy Minister pointed out that “Cyprus sadly is no stranger to these devastating consequences. Nearly 52 years have passed since the 1974 Turkish military invasion of Cyprus and the subsequent occupation of approximately one third of the island,” she said, adding that Greek Cypriots are not allowed to live in their homes or use freely the more than 550 religious monuments which are in the occupied part of the island.

“Furthermore, more than 200 listed Ancient Monuments are beyond the effective control of the competent authorities and therefore our rich and millennia-old cultural heritage suffers from ongoing destruction, looting and illegal export,” Kassianidou pointed out. “This tragedy has heavily affected Cyprus’ cultural heritage and despite existing internationally binding treaties regarding the protection of cultural heritage, little has been done to redeem the situation,” she said, adding that “the damage continues to be grave and, in most cases, irreversible.”

Furthermore, Kassianidou pointed out that Cyprus is currently leading discussions within the EU Justice Council on initiatives aimed at preventing the sale of looted cultural goods through internet channels, including social media platforms and the dark web. “While technological advancements over recent decades have undoubtedly enhanced our ability to work more efficiently and collaboratively, they have also —regrettably— provided traffickers with unprecedented opportunities to sell looted cultural objects online, often with near total impunity,” she added.

Referring to the Memorandum of Understanding signed last year between the Ministry of Culture of the Italian Republic and the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus on the prevention of theft, clandestine excavations, import, export and illicit trafficking of movable cultural property and on the promotion of their restitution, she said that ‘at the moment we are working and are close to signing a similar MOU with a number of other Ministries of Culture of neighbouring states the Eastern Mediterranean Region and the Gulf.’

On his part, Dr. Panicos Pourgourides, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Cyprus, said that “when cultural property is looted or trafficked, we are not simply losing objects. We are losing pieces of our history and of who we actually are. This is why the illicit trade in cultural property is not a marginal issue. It is a global challenge that fuels organized crime, undermines stability, and in some cases, even finances conflict,” he pointed out.

Antonella Cavallari, Ambassador of Italy in Cyprus, said that collaboration at international level and among different institutions is needed and vital. “That’s why Italy long ago launched the idea of Blue Helmet of United Nations, a special task force combining experts in cultural field with representatives of different institutions combating the organized crime,” she added.

“Future generations need to have access to our cultural identity,” Cavallari stressed, noting that “for Italy, this is something of primary importance.” She also assured that “we are by your side, and we will continue to work together with Cyprus and with all the countries to protect cultural identity and cultural heritage.” The Italian Ambassador noted that it is important to prevent things from happening, pointing out that we are in a world of conflicts and where climate change imposes very hard threats on our cultural heritage. This can be tackled with certain measures, she said.

On his part, Sergii Nizhynskyi, Ambassador of Ukraine in Cyprus, said that over the four years of the war in Ukraine, 1,685 cultural heritage sites and 2,483 cultural infrastructure facilities have been damaged, of which 507 have been destroyed. He added that Russia has stolen 35,482 museum objects, while more than 1.7 million items remain in temporarily occupied territories under the threats of destruction. Four out of Ukrainian state, UNESCO, World Heritage Sites have been directly affected by the war, Nizhynskyi noted.

‘The total direct damage to Ukrainians culture sector is estimated approximately 4.2 billion US dollars, while the overall losses, including the lost revenues, exceed $31 billion,’ he said, adding that the war has also claimed the lives of 346 artists and 132 Ukrainians and foreign media professionals.

In her address, Dr. Katariina Leinonen, Head of Division – Integrated Approach for Peace and Security at the European External Action Service, said that it is important to boost the awareness at the highest political levels and host international cooperation around these issues. ‘Destruction of cultural heritage in Ukraine is used as a deliberate weapon of war by Russia,’ she noted.

‘In EU we don’t consider cultural heritage separately from peace and security, development and international cooperation’ but ‘as a strategic asset, a driver of social cohesion, source of identity and an essential component of sustainable development,’ she pointed out, adding that the illicit trafficking of cultural property ‘is an attack to identity, memory and dignity.’

On her part, Medea Sogor Ekner, ICOM (International Council of Museums) Director General, described the initiatives taken and the tools developed by ICOM to protect cultural heritage across the world. She also said that museums can contribute to the long-term preservation of world cultural heritage by digitalizing their collections.