Press Releases

The Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture announces that on the 30^th November 2024 69 Cypriot ancient artefacts were handed over to the Cypriot authorities in Vienna, Austria, by Mr O.D. Mr O.D. handed over the artefacts to the Deputy Minister of Culture, Dr Vasiliki Kassianidou, for repatriation, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Austria, Mr Andreas Ignatiou, as well as representatives of the Ministry for European and International Affairs, and the Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport of Austria, representatives of international organisations (OSCE, UN/UNODC), and of the Museum of Military History and the University of Vienna.

The antiquities were stored in an apartment in Vienna that was inherited by Mr O.D. He decided to offer the antiquities for repatriation after he had contacted the Cyprus authorities and was informed that the artifacts had been exported illegally from the island. The antiquities date from the Bronze Age to the Ottoman period and consist of ceramic vessels, fragments of stone and terracotta figurines, glass bottles, a bone fibula and a pipe.

The Department of Antiquities wishes to warmly thank Mr O.D. for his considerate and ethically correct decision to return the artefacts to their country of origin. Sincere appreciation is also expressed towards the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Austria and especially to the Ambassador Andreas Ignatiou and to Mr Charilaos Palmas, whose contribution towards the positive outcome of the case was crucial.

The Department of Antiquities, as the competent authority 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 the looting and illicit trafficking of cultural heritage and last but not least, sensitising the general public on such issues, considering that the role of the public is extremely crucial in this field.

(EK/IA/AP)