OSCE workshop on illicit art trafficking

Combating the trafficking of artefacts between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan was the theme of a workshop organised in Ashgabat as part of the OSCE activities to favour the security of borders. The initiative was promoted by the Italian OSCE Chairmanship and was attended by experts and delegations from the two Countries concerned in addition to British expert Vernon Ripley and representatives of the UNESCO Office in Kabul and of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna. On opening the Workshop, the Italian Ambassador to Turkmenistan, Diego Ungaro, underscored Italy’s key role and the experience acquired both in regulating and in awareness-raising activities on art trafficking. The Turkmen delegation, led by the Deputy Chief of the State Border Service, Dovran Myradov, expressed appreciation for the initiative and for Italy’s activities in this field. The Afghan delegation, comprising representatives of the border police and of the Ministry of the Interior, judged the initiative a training opportunity.