Iraq’s contribution to civilization ‘outstanding’: Guterres

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations’ Secretary-General on Wednesday visited Iraq’s national museum in Baghdad, paying tribute to Iraq’s “outstanding” contribution to world civilization.

“It is impossible to come to this museum and not to feel that here was the birth of civilization and here we have found different demonstrations of how rich the culture of Iraq was during millennia,” Antonio Guterres told reporters during his visit. 

“The contribution of Iraq to world civilization, to world culture is absolutely outstanding,” he added. “I am here to pay tribute to all those working in this museum, preserving it in the difficult times that Iraq has faced some years ago.”

Iraq re-inaugurated its national museum in March 2022 after years of conflict, showcasing Iraqi artifacts recovered from the US, Netherlands, Japan, Italy, and Lebanon.

Iraq has recovered over 18,000 smuggled artifacts that had been smuggled out of the country since 2003.

Iraqi antiquities have been subjected to frequent looting and vandalism since 2003, the most severe of which was in 2014 when the Islamic State (ISIS) occupied large swathes of the country.

Around 17,000 antique artifacts have been returned to Iraq from the US since July, most of which date back to the Sumerian period around 4,000 years ago, one of the oldest civilizations in Mesopotamia.   

Nevertheless, cultural property theft has surged during the COVID-19 pandemic as per an International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) survey, and issues remain in the quest to return historical Iraqi artifacts.

Guterres arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday night for talks with senior Iraqi and Kurdish officials, marking his first trip to Iraq in six years.

Guterres said he was paying a “visit of solidarity” during a press briefing at the airport in Baghdad with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

“Iraqis will be able to overcome the difficulties and challenges they still face through an open and inclusive dialogue”, the UN chief noted. His visit comes months after Iraq emerged from a year-long political crisis as it struggled to form a new government after elections were held in October 2021.

On Thursday, he is set to visit the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil for meetings with Kurdish officials.