[PIO] Ancient Cypriot vase handed over by the French authorities to the Republic of Cyprus

A ceremony of handing over Cypriot antiquities from the French authorities to the Republic of Cyprus took place today, July 5, 2024, at the Embassy of the Republic in Paris. This is a ring-shaped pottery vessel, dating back to the Late Bronze Age 1650-1050 BC, which was made available for online sale by a French auction house. As part of the systematic controls carried out by the Department of Antiquities, it was possible to identify the antiquity and, with the assistance of Interpol and the French authorities, the return of the antiquity by its owner was achieved.

The handover was carried out on behalf of the French Government by the Head of the Anti-Trafficking Office of the Judicial Police (OCBC), Mr Hubert Percie Du Sert, and the Deputy Director of the Intelligence and Strategic Analysis Service for Organised Crime (SIRASCO), Ms Nathalie Chanvallon. During the ceremony, Mr. Percie du Sert said that it is with great pleasure that the Service is handing over the ancient object to him where it belongs, as part of the cultural heritage of Cyprus. He added that the repatriation of the antiquity is the result of the close cooperation between the competent authorities of the French and the Republic of Cyprus, which is bearing fruit.

For his part, the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Paris, Mr. Pavlos Combos warmly thanked the French authorities for their valuable contribution to the repatriation of this ancient relic and stressed the importance of preserving our cultural heritage in order to keep alive the contact with our roots. He further noted that "Cyprus, as a country with millennia of history, strewn from end to end with ancient treasures, and above all as a semi-occupied country, for the past 50 years, its cultural monuments have been seized and looted in an attempt by the Turkish occupying forces to alter the island's identity, is distinguished by its particular sensitivity and has been at the forefront of the international scene with regard to the protection of cultural property, within the Council of Europe, UNESCO and other international organisations.

(MX/MS/NYAN)
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