Unesco and Russia’s Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help protect and restore cultural properties in areas of conflict.

Under the agreement, the museum will provide the world heritage body with support for the assessment of damage to cultural property, and will help to devise operational plans for urgent safeguarding measures and restoration efforts worldwide – notably in the Middle East.

The museum will also offer technical supervision and restoration training in order to assist national authorities in affected regions.

"We are very grateful for this cooperation for all of what the Hermitage is bringing to us in terms of knowledge and expertise,” said Unesco director general, Irina Bokova, speaking at the signing.

“This signature testifies to our shared responsibility towards preservation, history and future generations to protect heritage.”

Founded in 1764 and open to the public since 1852, the State Hermitage Museum has a collection of more than three million objects. Each year the museum welcomes an average of three million visitors.

The partnership is part of Unesco’s 2015 strategy to better protect global culture in the event of armed conflict, which Bokova said responds to a “real necessity” to do work in areas now accessible after spending long periods under the control of hostile forces.