This ceremony, chaired by the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, provided an opportunity to highlight the operation of February 17, which allowed the return to Morocco of a fossil skull of Crocodilus phosphaticus, dating back 56 million years ago.

This fossil was found in 2014 by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in an Indiana farm owned by an American amateur archaeologist, alongside 7,000 other artifacts.

The operation of its return to Morocco is part of the implementation of the 1970 UNESCO Convention of the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Cultural Property.

It is also part of the cooperation between Morocco and the United States of America, including the Memorandum of Understanding for the preservation of Moroccan cultural heritage, signed on January 14, 2021 in Rabat.

Alongside this fossil, other artifacts were presented, seized on French territory between 2005 and 2006 and returned to Morocco on January 5, 2021, thanks to the efforts of the Kingdom and France and the cooperation of the competent authorities of both countries.

"This achievement is part of the dynamic partnership with a set of countries, including the United States and France, which have contributed to the restitution of this natural heritage extracted illegally," said Bensaid on this occasion.

He stressed, in this regard, that this restitution is of historical-scientific importance, especially for researchers in areas of specialization, as providing new information related to the ecosystem at the time of this historical period.

These efforts contribute to the strengthening of cultural tourism in view of the importance attached by tourists to ancient history and geological research, he noted, stressing the need to invest in this area for a dynamic cultural industry "able to create wealth for Moroccans".

For her part, the cultural counselor at the Embassy of France, Clelia Chevrier Kolačko, noted that this operation reflects the common desire of the Moroccan and French authorities to fight firmly against the illicit trafficking of cultural property.

On the other hand, the counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy, Kathleen Eagen, stressed the commitment of the United States of America to implement the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries for the preservation of the Moroccan cultural heritage.

She further noted that she was "pleased to see the fossil skull of Crocodilus phosphaticus return to its land of origin after being presented at a ceremony at the Embassy of Morocco in Washington."

In this regard, she added that the U.S. commitment to the return of the skull indicates the "close cooperation between our two governments".