Switzerland and Ivory Coast sign agreement on cultural assets
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Switzerland and Ivory Coast sign agreement on cultural assets
Swiss Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider has signed an agreement on cultural assets with Ivorian Culture Minister Françoise Remarck in Ivory Coast.
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It is the first of its kind to be concluded with a country from the region.
The agreement regulates the conditions under which the import of cultural property is legal or illegal. It also sets out the modalities for the repatriation of an illegally imported good and promotes cooperation in the preservation of endangered cultural heritage, Baume-Schneider, who holds the culture portfolio, explained at the inauguration of the archaeological museum in Singrobo-Ahouaty, in which Switzerland has participated.
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“This agreement also opens up opportunities for increased cooperation between our two countries, in particular the exchange of expertise and best practices to strengthen the protection and valorisation of cultural heritage,” she said. The cooperation should help make cultural assets accessible to the population.
The theft, looting and illegal trade in cultural assets are serious criminal offences, Baume-Schneider said at a press conference. “They strike at the core of the identity of the peoples concerned, endanger the cultural heritage of humanity and hinder the legal exchange of culture.”
Setting a dynamic in motion
The government’s Cultural Dispatch 2025-2028 provides for the development of such bilateral agreements, particularly with African countries. The aim is to create momentum in the sub-Saharan region, where there is a lot of illegal trade and where no conventions or agreements yet exist, said interior ministry spokesperson Christian Favre.
Baume-Schneider will meet Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara and Health Minister Pierre N’Gou Dimba on Tuesday. The talks will focus on bilateral relations between the two countries and regional political and economic challenges.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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