(ANSA) – WASHINGTON, 20 MAR – The War Museum in Ottawa hosted a symposium on combating crimes against cultural heritage, organised by the Canadian Ministry of Culture with the support of the Italian Embassy in Canada. The event was attended by Lieutenant General Francesco Gargaro, Commander of the Carabinieri’s Tpc Unit, at the invitation of the Canadian authorities, as well as academics, jurists and various representatives of law enforcement and museum institutions in Canada.
In his opening speech, the Ambassador of Italy to Canada, Alessandro Cattaneo, emphasised how Italy’s universally recognised expertise and the presence on Italian territory of around 70% of the world’s cultural heritage, on the one hand, and the important commitment of Canadian museum institutions to an ethical approach to cultural heritage, on the other, constitute the best prerequisites for a significant deepening of bilateral cooperation on the subject.
At the end of the symposium, an official ceremony was held for the transfer from the Canadian government to the Italian Republic of three sacred objects – a bone relic and a medallion belonging to St. Nicholas of Bari and a wooden statuette depicting the saint – illegally imported into Canada and intercepted in 2020 by Cbsa, Canada’s federal agency in charge of customs and border controls. Other important artistic treasures are being returned by Canada to Italy, thanks to the joint efforts of the institutions of the two countries.
The day ended with a reception at the Italian residence in Ottawa, attended by representatives of the Canadian political, institutional, cultural and media world. The initiative launched by the Canadian Ministry of Culture and the invitation accepted by the Tpc reflect a shared vision in the fight against crimes against cultural heritage and mark a further step towards a strategic qualitative leap in relations between Italy and Canada.
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In his opening speech, the Ambassador of Italy to Canada, Alessandro Cattaneo, emphasised how Italy’s universally recognised expertise and the presence on Italian territory of around 70% of the world’s cultural heritage, on the one hand, and the important commitment of Canadian museum institutions to an ethical approach to cultural heritage, on the other, constitute the best prerequisites for a significant deepening of bilateral cooperation on the subject.
At the end of the symposium, an official ceremony was held for the transfer from the Canadian government to the Italian Republic of three sacred objects – a bone relic and a medallion belonging to St. Nicholas of Bari and a wooden statuette depicting the saint – illegally imported into Canada and intercepted in 2020 by Cbsa, Canada’s federal agency in charge of customs and border controls. Other important artistic treasures are being returned by Canada to Italy, thanks to the joint efforts of the institutions of the two countries.
The day ended with a reception at the Italian residence in Ottawa, attended by representatives of the Canadian political, institutional, cultural and media world. The initiative launched by the Canadian Ministry of Culture and the invitation accepted by the Tpc reflect a shared vision in the fight against crimes against cultural heritage and mark a further step towards a strategic qualitative leap in relations between Italy and Canada.
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