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- Ελληνικά
The Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture announces that, on 18 July 2023, the repatriation from Italy of three Cypriot antiquities, which had been seized by the Italian authorities in the framework of criminal proceedings, was successfully completed. In particular, the competent Court in Florence decided that three archaeological objects, for which the Republic of Cyprus officially requested their repatriation to Cyprus, are indeed of Cypriot origin and decided to return them to Cyprus. They are three clay vessels dating back to the Bronze Age (c. 1600-1400 BC)
The official handover ceremony of the antiquities took place on 17 July 2023 at the offices of the Italian police authorities (Carabinieri) in Rome. Mr. Vincenzo Molinese, Commander of the Carabinieri, handed over the antiquities to Mr. George Christofides, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Rome. Afterwards, a short ceremony was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Rome. On 18 July 2023, the Director of the Department of Antiquities, Dr. Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou, accompanied the antiquities to Cyprus by plane together with the Head of the Office for Combating Illegal Occupation and Trafficking of Antiquities of the Police Headquarters, Senior Lieutenant Michael Gavrielides. The antiquities have been stored at the Cyprus Museum where they will be preserved and digitized in the database of the Department of Antiquities. V. Molinese, Commander of the Carabinieri, Captain A. Ragusa and the Florence Carabinieri team, as well as the Italian Ambassador in Nicosia, Mrs. Federica Ferrari Bravo, whose contribution was decisive for the positive outcome of the case. The return of the Cypriot antiquities is the result of the firm commitment of Cyprus and Italy to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural objects and confirms the close cooperation and friendship between the two countries.
The Department of Antiquities, as the competent Department of the Republic of Cyprus for the protection and management of the archaeological heritage of Cyprus, will continue its intensive efforts to protect the cultural heritage of both Cyprus and other countries, always in close cooperation with the National Commission of Antiquities. These efforts include, inter alia, intensifying efforts to identify, claim and repatriate illegally exported antiquities, developing new technologies in this field, enhancing the training of the staff of the competent authorities in the fight against illicit trafficking of antiquities and raising public awareness, whose role is particularly important in the protection of our common cultural heritage.
(MB/EXP)
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