(Adnkronos) – Italy has given back over 1,000 trafficked treasures to Mexico since 2018 in a sign of their strong ties and cooperation in battling international crime networks, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said during a visit, calling the two countries “cultural superpowers”.
“Since 2018, we have returned over a thousand cultural assets to Mexico, treasures that had been illegally exported to Italy and which belong to Mexico’s heritage,” Tajani said at an event late Thursday on bilateral cooperation in counter-trafficking.
The event took pace at Mexico City’s National Anthropology Museum and was also attended by Mexico’s foreign minister Ramon de la Fuente.
“Few things give such joy as the restitution of cultural property due to its value and what it represents for a country’s identity,” said de la Fuente.
The return of so many cultural treasures to Mexico “are the fruit of work by the (Italian paramilitary) Carabinieri (police)’s cultural heritage protection unit: a jewel in Italy’s crown,” said Tajani.
Tajani also hailed “the extraordinary collaboration between Italy and Mexico – not only in the economic and cultural fields, but also in those of justice and security.”
“We are here to celebrate the strong ties binding Italy and Mexico also at a cultural level and above all our future collaboration in the fight against the trafficking of heritage,” Tajani stated.
“We are two cultural superpowers, we cooperate closely and have achieved important results.”
The cross-border nature of scourges such as the trafficking of cultural assets, drugs and people “requires unity among countries and the exchange of best practices,” Tajani said.
Fuente praised Italy for its “pioneering” role in the restitution of cultural assets, which he said “enriches international cooperation”.
Mexico’s cooperation with Italy in fighting the trafficking of cultural treasures and working for their return is especially strong, Fuente said.
“Italy’s sensitivity to the issue began long before other European countries,” Fuente underlined, agreeing with Tajani: “we will win this battle.”
