Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni participated in the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum of Ancient Civilizations, held in Yerevan, Armenia. Greece was unanimously entrusted with the Presidency of the Forum of Ancient Civilizations for 2025. The 1st Ministerial Conference of the Forum was held in Athens in 2017. In the context of its upcoming Presidency, Greece aims to undertake initiatives that will enhance the visibility of the Forum, the joint fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural goods, the exchange of know-how on issues of conservation, restoration and promotion of the cultural heritage of the Member States and international cultural actions with tangible results in the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of the Member States. The Forum of Ancient Civilisations is composed of Greece, Italy, China, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Egypt, Peru, Bolivia and Armenia. Mexico has observer status.

Lina Mendoni expressed her warm thanks for the steadfast and strong support of the Forum members to our national demand for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles in Athens, as well as for their assistance in the inscription of the Greek nominations on the World Heritage List and the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. The Minister of Culture referred to the beneficial impact of the Forum in strengthening bilateral cultural ties between its members, citing examples of close cultural cooperation between Greece and Italy, China and Peru.

“We honour the achievements of our peoples and their timeless contribution to global civilisation, while recognising the important role our countries can play in today’s world, supporting timeless values such as dialogue, tolerance and peace”, Lina Mendoni said, supporting the strengthening of the institutional character of the Forum of Ancient Civilisations, with a series of solid steps, including the organisation of a “group of friends”, within the framework of UNESCO, for the elaboration of common initiatives, positions and statements, the organisation of workshops of a scientific nature – alongside the established annual Ministerial Conference. α.

Regarding the areas of cooperation between the Forum members, the Minister of Culture, as well as the other representatives of the Member States, reaffirmed their position on the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural goods, the exchange of know-how for the conservation and restoration of the monumental heritage using modern technology, the protection of cultural heritage in war situations, and joint initiatives to prevent the effects of climate change on cultural heritage. On the latter in particular, the Minister informed the members in detail about the relevant international initiatives undertaken by Greece.

It is noted that on the sidelines of the Forum, Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni had a bilateral meeting with the Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Traditional Arts Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri. They discussed the possibility of cultural cooperation between the two countries in the fields of combating the illegal trafficking of cultural goods, the promotion of the handicrafts of the two peoples, the organisation of exhibitions, translations of literary texts and studies of historical sources.