UNESCO meeting in Istanbul discusses Syria, heritage sites

The meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is underway in Istanbul with participants discussing adding new heritage sites, as well as the protection of artifacts and historical sites in conflict zones.

During Monday's session, the committee discussed the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, the monumental ruins of which were partially demolished by DAESH.

"The working conditions there are very difficult," said Mechthild Roessler, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. In the midst of a civil war, roughly 4,000 mines have been removed from the area, but there could be more hidden underneath the rubble.

The UNESCO meeting will continue until July 20, with new cultural and natural heritage sites set to be announced between July 15 to July 17.

Speaking on a panel at the summit, Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı outlined Turkey's efforts against artifact smuggling from Syria. "The work of our security forces with the coordination of the Culture Ministry is promising to prevent the illegal transfer of cultural artifacts. Turkey has lately been subject to unfair, ugly allegations that it failed to stop artifact smuggling by DAESH in Syria. We exert utmost sensitivity towards the common cultural and historical heritage we share with regional countries, just as we care about cultural assets in our own country. Since 2012, Turkey has led efforts to preserve this shared heritage. We put our security forces on high alert against smuggling of artifacts from Syria and trained customs officers against smuggling through border crossings. We drafted an emergency list of artifacts that might be possibly smuggled from Syria and delivered it to relevant authorities, art dealers, collectors all across Turkey to keep them vigilante against smuggling," he said.