PALMYRA (Sputnik) – It will take from five to seven years to reconstruct monuments of the ancient Palmyra in Syria destroyed by Daesh terrorists, Russia's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO Eleonora Mitrofanova told journalists Thursday.
"As for the time [needed for reconstruction of Palmyra], experts say it may take five-seven years," Mitrofanova said.
She also said that start of reconstructing Palmyra is now discussed by experts.
"In principle, these issues are now discussed in depth. In particular, a special conference on the world heritage of Syria will take place in Berlin on June 2-3. But everything will depend on the conclusions drawn by the experts. Only after a detailed study it will be clear what to do with these objects: whether to renovate, to reconstruct [them] and so on," Mitrofanova said.
"Of course, it will be the international community: either a fund, or each country on bilateral basis will finance [the works]," she said, adding that there are some countries that have already expressed their willingness to take part in the reconstruction of Palmyra – for example, Poland, Bahrain, Austria, Greece, Russia, Italy as well as the European Union.
Daesh, outlawed in Russia, seized Palmyra in May 2015 and destroyed part of its historic ruins, which are a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. On March 27, forces loyal to Damascus and backed by the Russian Aerospace Forces, liberated the city.
