Switzerland - Côte d'Ivoire Switzerland and Côte d'Ivoire sign agreement on cultural assets
Culture Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider signed an agreement on cultural assets with Ivorian Culture Minister Françoise Remarck in Côte d'Ivoire on Monday. It is the first of its kind to be concluded with a country from the region.
30.06.2025, 18:25
SDA
The agreement regulates the conditions under which the import of cultural goods is legal or illegal. It also sets out the modalities for the repatriation of an illegally imported good and promotes cooperation in the preservation of endangered cultural heritage, explained the Federal Councillor at the inauguration of the archaeology museum in Singrobo-Ahouaty, in which Switzerland participated.
"This agreement also opens up opportunities for increased cooperation between our two countries, in particular the exchange of expertise and best practices to strengthen the protection and development of cultural assets," said Baume-Schneider. The cooperation should help to make cultural assets accessible to the population.
The theft, looting and illegal trade in cultural assets are serious crimes, the Federal Councillor continued at a press conference: "They strike at the very core of the identity of the people concerned, endanger the cultural heritage of humanity and hinder the legal exchange of culture".
Setting a dynamic in motion
The Confederation's Cultural Dispatch 2025-2028 provides for the development of such bilateral agreements, particularly with African countries. The aim is to create momentum in the sub-Saharan region, where there is a lot of illegal trade and where no conventions or agreements yet exist, said spokesperson Christian Favre from the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) to the Keystone-SDA news agency.
On Tuesday, Baume-Schneider will meet Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara and Health Minister Pierre N'Gou Dimba. The talks will focus on bilateral relations between the two countries and regional political and economic challenges.
