Strengthening border security to combat trafficking of cultural property in Lithuania
Countering emerging threats posed by the illicit trafficking of cultural property was the focus of a three-day national workshop, organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, Border Security and Management Unit, in close co-ordination with national customs officials in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Thirty participants from multiple operational units within the Lithuanian border police, customs forces and the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture gained in-depth knowledge, tools and practical investigation skills in the workshop. This allows them to enhance the customs’ overall capacity to stop, interdict and investigate cultural property trafficking and its linkages to terrorism and organized crime financing.
“The operational partnerships and practical investigative skills developed during this workshop are critical in combatting the trafficking of art, antiquities and cultural heritage in the region, the OSCE area and globally. We will continue to work with customs, border security and law enforcement organizations to combat the illicit cross-border movement of the world’s heritage and the criminal and terrorist networks that are profiting greatly from these crimes,” said Cameron Walter, Associate Programme Officer of the OSCE Border Security Management Unit.
The training course was conducted within the frames of a project established by the Border Security Management Unit in 2021, aimed at raising awareness about illicit trafficking of cultural property and its impact on security and stability in the OSCE area.