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The Department of Antiquities
of the Deputy Ministry of Culture announces the repatriation of three Cypriot
antiquities from Italy. The antiquities were returned to Cyprus on 18th of July 2023. The objects had been seized by the Italian authorities as part
of penal proceedings. Specifically, the competent court in Florence decided
the return to Cyprus of three archaeological objects for which the Cypriot
authorities had requested the initiation of return proceedings. The
antiquities consist of three pottery vessels, dating to the Bronze Age
(around 1600‒1400 BC).
The official ceremony for
handing over the antiquities took place on 17th July 2023 at the
offices of the Italian police (Carabinieri) in Rome. Carabinieri General
Vincenzo Molinese handed over the three antiquities to the Ambassador of the
Republic of Cyprus in Rome, Mr. Yiorgos Christofides. On the same day, a
short ceremony followed at the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Rome. On
18th July 2023, the Director of the Department of Antiquities, Dr.
Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou, and Chief Police Inspector Michalis
Gavrielides, Head of the Office for the Combating of Illicit Possession and
Trafficking of Antiquities of the Police Headquarters (Cyprus Police) oversaw
the transfer of the antiquities to Cyprus. The objects are now kept at the
Cyprus Museum in Lefkosia, where they will be inventoried, conserved and
digitised, as part of the Department of Antiquities’ digitization program.
The Department of Antiquities
and the National Committee for Combatting the Looting and Illicit Trafficking
of Antiquities wish to express their sincerest appreciation towards the
Italian police authorities (Carabinieri) and especially to General V.
Molinese, Captain Angelo Ragusa, and the Carabinieri Florence unit, as well
as the Ambassador of Italy in Lefkosia, Ms Federica Ferrari Bravo, whose
contribution towards the successful conclusion of the case was extremely
valuable. The return of the three antiquities is a result of Cyprus’ and
Italy’s ongoing efforts towards combatting the illicit trafficking of
cultural objects and, at the same time, the repatriation confirms the two
countries’ strong collaboration and friendship.
The Department of Antiquities,
as the competent Department of the Republic of Cyprus for the protection and
management of the island’s archaeological heritage, will continue its
intensive efforts to further protect the cultural heritage both at a local
and an international level. These actions are always conducted in close
collaboration with the National Committee for Combatting the Looting and
Illicit Trafficking of Antiquities. Such efforts include, amongst others,
intensifying targeted investigations that aim to identify and repatriate
illicitly trafficked cultural objects, further developing and employing new
technologies in this field, training the personnel of the competent
authorities that are involved in the fight against looting and illicit
trafficking of cultural heritage and last but not least, sensitizing the
general public on such issues, considering that the role of the public is
extremely crucial in this field.
(MV/ECHR)
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