ATHENS – With Greece a favored target for smugglers and thieves of ancient treasures, the US State Department’s Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF) trained Greek law enforcement officials through two workshops.

The event was held in September and now reported by the US as being designed to help prevent illicit trafficking and to counter the effects of climate change on cultural heritage, it was reported.

That came after it was done on Cyprus, the Greek conferences organized by the International Council of Museums and featuring CATF trainers from the Department of State, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection, the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. private sector.  This workshop delivered on a call to action by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry for the United States and Greece to work together to combat the climate crisis and protect cultural heritage.