Thanks to the efforts of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC), nine archaeological artefacts of pre-Hispanic origin attributed by experts to the populations that inhabited present-day El Salvador between 600 and 900 A.D. and illegally detained by private collectors in Italy have been returned to their birthplace. This is the first time that El Salvador has been involved in such an operation.
After being returned by the TPC to the Embassy of El Salvador in Rome, the artefacts were taken over by the Salvadoran Ministry of Culture during a ceremony held at the El Salvador Ministry of Foreign Affairs and attended by the Italian Ambassador in San Salvador, Emanuele Rozo Sordini.
In his speech, Ambassador Rozo Sordini recounted the history of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, highlighting how Italy was the first country in the world to establish a police force specialising in this specific area, anticipating by a year the UNESCO recommendation advising member states to take measures to prevent the purchase of illegally exported goods and to facilitate the recovery of stolen property.
The Minister of Culture of El Salvador, Raúl Neftali Castillo, and the Vice Minister of Diaspora, Cindy Mariella Portal, expressed their gratitude to Italy for this significant result, which contributes to strengthening the excellent relations between Italy and El Salvador.
At the end of the event, Ambassador Rozo Sordini hosted a reception, which was attended by the Vice President of El Salvador Felix Ulloa, a number of Ministers, the Diplomatic Corps, and local personalities from the world of culture.
