RA NA ratifies intergovernmental agreement on protection of cultural  values with Greece 

ArmInfo. At its plenary session on February 11, the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia ratified the intergovernmental Armenian-Greek agreement "On the Prevention of the Theft of Cultural Property, Illegal  Archaeological Excavations, as well as the Illegal Import, Export,  and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Objects, and the Approval of  Mechanisms for the Restitution (Return) of Cultural Property to Their  Countries of Origin."

As RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Zhanna  Andreasyan noted at the parliamentary session, the ratification of  this agreement could set a precedent for similar agreements with  other countries. The document will help protect the cultural property  of the Armenian people and create additional tools for this purpose.  The agreement provides for information exchange and specialist  retraining. It also provides for financial allocations for specialist  retraining, as well as covering expenses in the event of restitution  and restoration of cultural property.

The minister emphasized that ratification of the agreement will be an  important step in developing cooperation between the two countries in  the above-mentioned area, which, in turn, will contribute to the  expansion of mutually beneficial relations and will facilitate the  preservation and protection of the two countries' cultural heritage,  which belongs to all humanity, and its proper protection. The  document's implementation will result in the adoption of necessary  measures to combat theft, illegal excavations, and the illicit  import, export, transit, or transfer of ownership of cultural  property in accordance with the requirements of the UNESCO Convention  on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import,  Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

The agreement will provide for the exchange of information on cases  of theft, illegal excavations, and the illicit import, export,  transit, or transfer of ownership of cultural property of interest,  as well as the confiscation of cultural property offered for auction.