The United States (US) Embassy to Libya hosted on Monday a workshop at its temporary headquarters in the Tunisian capital on implementing the US-Libya Cultural Property Agreement, with the participation of several officials from the US Department of State and specialists from both countries.
The workshop was opened by the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy to Libya, Inga Himminck, and was organized in cooperation between the US Embassy, its Libyan partners, and the American organization ASOR, according to a statement published by the embassy on its Facebook page.
The embassy said that “this workshop is part of the action plan to implement the US-Libya Cultural Property Agreement, through which Libya and the US work together to bolster efforts to protect heritage sites and prevent the illicit trafficking of antiquities; an illegal activity that often finances terrorism and transnational crime, posing a threat to both countries.”
It added that the workshop brought together representatives of the US Department of State, American experts, and Libyan specialists in archaeology, the judiciary, and law enforcement from across the country.
In February 2018, the US Department of State announced the signing of a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Libya to protect cultural and archaeological property. Since its signing, the agreement has contributed to the recovery of several antiquities smuggled out of Libya.