Mostafa Waziri, the Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Kim Hyun-Mo, the Head of the South Korean Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation between the two countries in the fields of antiquities and museums.
Signed at Prince Muhammad Ali Palace in Al-Manial in Cairo, this agreement came within the framework of the current official visit of the South Korean president to Egypt.
The MoU aims to contribute to establishing policies for the sustainable preservation of cultural property, supporting mutual cooperation in the fields of antiquities and museums, as well as exchanging experts and expertise between specialists from both countries.
Under the MoU, cooperative projects related to combating illegal trafficking of cultural property will be strengthened; exchanging experiences in the field of cultural heritage management, managing archaeological sites, their institutions and museums, and exchanging experiences in the field of sunken antiquities; the preservation, maintenance, and protection of cultural property; capacity development in the field of antiquities and museums; in addition to exchanging experiences in areas related to archaeological and museum work through organising training courses, workshops, seminars, and joint conferences, as well as educational programmes; and supporting the exchange of archaeological excavations, including conducting archaeological surveys and preservation works for the discovered pieces.
Work will also be done on the use of modern technology in the fields of archaeological and museum work, exchanging experiences in the field, applying modern technology in areas related to archaeological sites and museums, and registering archaeological sites on the World Heritage List and preparing registration files and related studies.
Waziri stressed the confidence of the Egyptian side in the experience of the Korean side in the field of antiquities restoration and technology. He explained that the first activation of the agreement would be the restoration work of the first edifice in the Ramesseum Temple in Luxor.
On his part, the CHA’s head expressed his happiness with this fruitful cooperation between the two countries and his aspiration to start implementing the terms of this agreement and the participation of the Korean side for the first time in Egyptian excavations and restoration projects.
At the end of the ceremony, Waziri presented the CHA`s head with a commemorative shield.
