The Minister of Culture meets in Baghdad with the Ambassador of the European Union and UNESCO Representative to Iraq

Mr. Paolo Fontani, UNESCO Representative to Iraq, and Mr. Martin Huth, EU Ambassador to Iraq, met with the Minister of Culture, Dr. Hassan Nadhem, to discuss a number of joint projects, mainly the reconstruction of the two old cities of Mosul and Basra.

Ambassador Huth indicated that the European Union is keen to support Iraq in preserving its culture and cultural identity and heritage sites that have been damaged due to conflict.

Mr. Fontani presented the work that UNESCO is doing in Iraq in partnership with the European Union, particularly the restoration of heritage houses in Mosul and Basra old cities, the recovery of Al-Ashar water channel in Basra, as well as the rehabilitation of the ancient citadel of Erbil. The joint EU-UNESCO projects, in addition to rehabilitate heritage, aim at providing job opportunities using culture as vehicle for economic and social development.

The Minister of Culture stressed the need to constantly monitor the implementation stages according to the schedule, adding “I feel optimistic and we are ready to overcome all administrative and technical obstacles to work.”