Armenia, Greece ratify landmark pact to combat illegal antiquities   trade

ArmInfo.  The relevant parliamentary committee ratified the agreement on the "Prevention of Theft, Illegal  Excavations and Illegal Import, Export, and Transfer  of Ownership of Cultural Property, and Its Restitution  to Its   Country of Origin", signed between Armenia and Greece. Deputy  Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Armenia Artur  Martirosyan presented the corresponding draft law at a meeting on  February 3.

In this regard, he emphasized that the ratification of this agreement  could set a precedent for similar agreements with other countries.  "This agreement will help protect our cultural property and create  additional tools for this purpose," the deputy minister noted.  According to Martirosyan, the agreement also includes provisions for  information exchange and retraining of specialists. "This is another  positive step toward developing industry legislation," he added.

At the same time, the deputy head of the department noted that the  document also includes provisions for funding  for  retraining  programs for specialists, as well as for covering costs related to  restitution and restoration of cultural property.