Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Damascus, SANA – The People’s Assembly held a session on Wednesday and discussed the performance of the Tourism Ministry and the Culture Ministry during the current crisis and their efforts to preserve the national heritage and archeological artifacts in addition to revitalizing tourism.
The MPs stressed the need to give special attention to children’s culture, protecting archeological monuments, and revitalizing internal tourism, calling for coordinating efforts with international organizations to recover archeological artifacts which were stolen and smuggled by terrorist groups.
Answering the questions of the Assembly members, Minister of Culture Issam Khalil said the most important Syrian antiquities are preserved and safe, noting that the Ministry has formed the Higher National Committee for Retrieving Antiquities with the aim of retrieving all Syrian antiquities abroad, whether they are exhibited in museums or bought by private collectors.
Minister Khalil also said the Ministry is focusing on visual culture as it has more ability to attract people, with emphasis on film and cinema in this regard.
For his part, Minister of Tourism Bishr Yazigi said the Ministry seeks to have the tourism sector help in providing foreign currencies to the treasury, and that the Ministry has conducted an assessment of all projects which were stalled due to the current crisis with the aim of taking the appropriate measures to help relaunch them.
Mohammad Nassr / Hazem Sabbagh
