Minister urges to include cultural heritage protection in security plans and training at all levels

RIGA - It is important to develop a common strategy to include cultural heritage in security plans and training at all levels,  Culture Minister Agnese Lace (Progressives) said at the conference "Cultural Heritage and Security" on Monday.

As the Culture Ministry's spokeswoman Lita Kokale told LETA, the minister noted that these are turbulent times, where a few thousand kilometers from Latvia, Russia continues to wage its full-scale war against Ukraine. In Lace's view, this is also a time when Latvia needs to think how to not only strengthen the country's military capabilities, but also develop mechanisms to protect and preserve its cultural heritage in times of crisis.

"The Culture Ministry takes interaction between culture and security, as well as the preservation of cultural heritage, extremely seriously. Just as we talk about defending the country from the first centimeter, our task is to build a system where everyone knows how to protect cultural assets from the first minute of a crisis," the minister stressed.

Lace underlined that the state provides support and advice to both public and private owners of cultural property, and plans cooperation in cases of crisis. At the same time, according to Lace, every owner and user of cultural property has the duty to take care of the preservation of such property, which includes not only the protection of physical objects, but also preventive preparation for possible emergencies.

"We need to be aware that effective protection of cultural heritage requires cooperation between the cultural and defense sectors, as well as public awareness, responsibility and a change in attitudes," the culture minister said.

She noted that culture and cultural heritage are often used as a weapon of war, falsifying or destroying history in an attempt to undermine the identity and morality of nations. In situations of crisis, culture and heritage, the minister stressed, keep societies motivated to defend and stand up for their values, strengthen solidarity and fighting spirit.

As LETA reported, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, a conference for policy planners and cultural heritage professionals "Cultural Heritage and Security" took place in Latvia today.