Two days of study on Italy-Tunisia cooperation in the field of archaeology opened at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, sixty years after the first Italian-Tunisian mission to the North African country. "What we are celebrating today goes far beyond a mere anniversary, it is the enhancement of a common path, linking past, present and future, and based on solid values: mutual respect, trust, sharing of knowledge, and the will to enhance a legacy that reflects the depth of the ties between our two countries," said Ambassador Alessandro Prunas at the opening, after the greetings of the director of the National Institute of Tunisian Heritage, Tarek Baccouche. "Since the 1960s, when the first Italo-Tunisian archaeological mission was born, archaeology has become a pillar of the partnership between Italy and Tunisia, it has allowed us to build a fruitful space of exchange, where scientific rigour, innovation, institutional cooperation and, above all, reciprocal enrichment,' said Prunas, emphasising that 'today, with fourteen active missions, Italy is proud to be Tunisia's leading archaeological partner' and pointing out that 'even more than the numbers, it is the quality, continuity and human and territorial roots of this cooperation that are its strength.
"Its structure is based on the joint commitment of the Inp and Italian universities and research centres, on consolidated institutions such as the Italian Archaeological School of Carthage, as well as on the creation of ever new synergies - such as those between the Inp and the Colosseum Archaeological Park, the Central Institute for Restoration and the Central Institute for Archaeology. All these initiatives express the same spirit: a spirit of co-direction, co-responsibility and complementarity, which fully embodies the model of the Mattei Plan - that of a partnership among equals, rooted in the needs of the territories and resolutely oriented towards the future. We are increasingly called upon to make heritage not only a witness to the past, but also an engine of development for the future. Indeed, archaeology does not only look to the past. It revives that common foundation we share around the Mediterranean. It transmits knowledge, trains skills and, through the valorisation of sites as poles of tourist attraction, generates a real impact on local development. 'Italy is proud of this vision that we share with our Tunisian friends and which is embodied in each and every one of you here present,' concluded the ambassador. The study days at the Bardo Museum will allow the directors of the joint excavation missions to present the work carried out so far at important archaeological sites throughout the country, as well as the projects in the pipeline, also in a popular format. (ANSA)
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