Venezuela Condemns Terrorists’ Vandalism against Syria’s Cultural Heritage

Expressing their support for Syria’s steadfastness in the face of the ongoing crisis, a number of Venezuelan cultural commissions, organizations and figures have condemned the acts of vandalism perpetrated by armed terrorist groups against Syria’s cultural heritage. They stressed that the cultural heritage of a country is part of peoples’ identity and that protecting it is a humanitarian duty the social and cultural bodies as well as the international community should do.

In a recent statement handed over to the Culture Minister Lubana Mshaweh by the Venezuelan Ambassador in Damascus Imad Saab, the Venezuelan personalities denounced the acts of barbarism, destruction and looting committed by the foreign-backed terrorists and mercenaries in Syria against the country’s museums, archeological sites, worshipping places and ancient markets.

The statement also criticized foreign intervention in Syria’s internal affairs embodied in the funding, arming and sheltering of terrorist groups.

”The foreign intervention in Syria has caused the spreading of chaos in the country, the displacement of the Syrian families and the destruction of the Syrian cultural heritage”, the statement added.

It called for adopting necessary procedures to fix the damages inflicted upon museums and archeological sites which are considered as part of the cultural heritage of humanity.

The statement demanded the countries, which support the armed terrorist groups, to respect and abide by the international agreements which provide for protecting cultural properties during armed conflicts.

Minister Lubana Mshaweh and the Venezuelan ambassador also discussed means of expanding cultural cooperation between the two countries.

She highly appreciated Venezuela’s honorable stand in support of Syria’s firm policy to withstand the current crisis, and hailed the Venezuelan people’s struggle to get freedom and preserve their dignity and sovereignty.

For his part, the Venezuelan Ambassador reiterated that the statement expresses Venezuela’s government and people’s solidarity with Syria in the confrontation of the extraordinary circumstances the country has been encountering.

Rawaa Ghanam