Greece has returned 48 Cypriot antiquities that were held in a private collection to the Cyprus Museum, officials said on Monday.
The artefacts, consisting of vessels and limestone figurines dating from the Early Bronze Age to the Medieval period, were formally handed over during a ceremony by Greece’s Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni to Cyprus’ Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou.
According to a statement from Cyprus’ Deputy Ministry of Culture, the antiquities were acquired in Cyprus during the 1960s and 1970s. Following the death of the collector, the heirs transferred the objects to the Greek state so that their return to Cyprus could be examined.
Kassianidou thanked Mendoni, who, she said, “always supports anything and anyone that helps Cyprus,” as well as the relevant Greek authorities for their role in securing the return of the artefacts. She also expressed appreciation to the collector’s heirs for preserving the items and voluntarily handing them over.
The deputy minister said the return went beyond bilateral cooperation or the cultural agreement signed between the two countries a year and a half ago. “Above all, it is a tangible example of how the protection of cultural heritage and the right of societies to maintain a living connection with their history, memory, and identity are put into practice,” she said.
Kassianidou added that “for countries such as Cyprus and Greece, this discussion has particular significance and weight,” noting that both have experienced loss and dispossession of cultural property and share a common effort to safeguard historical memory.
Mendoni said Greece was pleased to return the antiquities, adding: “Greece, which is at the forefront of protecting cultural heritage from illegal trafficking, is returning these 48 antiquities to the place where they originated, in accordance with the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the bilateral agreement we signed one and a half years ago with the Deputy Minister of the Republic of Cyprus.”
She added: “Greece, like Cyprus, has suffered from the looting of its cultural heritage,” stressing that effective protection of cultural property requires international cooperation, mutual understanding and assistance.
Source: CNA
