Head of Mission Dr. Markus Ritter met with the Minister of Culture, His Excellency Abdulamir Ghalib Al Hamdani to discuss the Mission’s work on protection of cultural heritage.

- It should be a global task to protect the Iraqi cultural heritage. Thousands of antiquities have been stolen from museums and archeological sites in Iraq and taken outside the country by smugglers, the Minister stated.

EUAM Iraq is organising a third workshop on protection of cultural heritage on 19-20 November. The event will be attended by European and Iraqi experts. The workshop will focus on Iraqi museums, the stolen artifacts and on the support the Mission can provide in order to protect the cultural heritage in the country.

Progress is underway to protect the excavation sites and Iraq’s significant historical attractions. The ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon was selected as the UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2019. The nomination highlights the long-term commitment of the cultural heritage conservation in Iraq.

EUAM Iraq is the only Mission of its kind that has a Senior Strategic Advisor specialised in cultural heritage protection. Protecting cultural values, enhancing the Iraqi inheritance and preventing the root causes of extremism is a key factor in the stabilisation efforts in Iraq.