Syrian –Russian cooperation to restore Arch of Triumph of Palmyra

Damascus, SANA- Within the agenda of the Syrian-Russian joint meeting on the Return of the Refugees, Ministry of Culture received a delegation of Russian academic figures to discuss means of developing joint cooperation related to the urgent preserving of the archaeological sites and protecting them.

In this regard, Minister of Culture , Lubanah Mshaweh, discussed with the Russian delegation, chaired by Deputy Director of the Institute of History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences , Natalia Solovyova , the inked agreement between the Directorate‑General of Antiquities and Museums and the Russian Academy of Sciences on exchanging expertise , information and documents in the domain of archeology, in particular preserving and protecting the archeological heritage.

The two sides affirmed their willingness to cooperate on renovating the Monumental Arch of Triumph of Palmyra that is considered as a significant archeological landmarks regarding the civilization of the whole world, not only Syria.

Mshaweh told SANA that the cooperation will be done through an expanded committee comprising of experts and supervised by the Directorate‑General of Antiquities and Museums , elaborating that  this committee consists of Syrian experts in preservation, renovation and documentation, in addition to Russian and international experts working under the supervision of United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in a way that supports the file provided by Syria  about the works carried out by the official authorities and architects and experts to remove Arch of Triumph from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The Russian side noted to the importance of the Arch of Triumph of Palmyra as it is an architectural sample in many Russian churches and buildings and its photo was printed on the cover of one of the Russian educational books.

Baraa Ali / Mazen Eyon