Baghdad, The Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Fakak Al-Badrani, discussed joint cooperation with the Italian Ambassador to Baghdad, Maurizio Cricanti. A statement by the Ministry of Culture said that Al-Badrani discussed with Cricanti: 'ways of joint cooperation between the two countries, expressing his assistance in facilitating the entry and work of Italian excavation missions.' The Minister appreciated the initiatives of the Italian friends and their support in all areas of culture and antiquities, making it an important step in bilateral cooperation between the two countries, which have great cultural and civilizational commonalities. For his part, the ambassador expressed his thanks for the minister's participation in the celebration that was held on the occasion of the Italian National Day, reviewing the agenda of a number of projects, the most important of which is his country's desire to cooperate in helping Iraq recover its stolen antiquities, in addition to exchanging academic experiences through holding seminars and lectures on heritage, its importance and its preservation, expressing his country's desire to help Iraq in establishing the virtual museum project, which tells the story of the rich and great Iraqi antiquities electronically. Source: National Iraqi News Agency