Greek authorities returned Turkey 1055 coins belonging to the ancient civilization of Lydia. Artifacts were taken from Turkey smuggled.
The transfer ceremony took place in the Athenian Numismatic Museum. The event was attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey Mehmet Nuriersa, Minister of Culture of Greece Lina Mendoni and Minister of Tourism of Greece Olga Kefaloyanni.
This event coincided with the 5th meeting of the Turkish-Greek Commission on Tourism held in Athens.
Coins date back to the 7th-5 centuries BC. They were discovered during a search on the Kipi checkpoint by the Greek authorities. Artifacts were identified as those coming from Anatolia and associated with Lydian civilization.
During the performance at the ceremony, Mehmet Nuri Ersa emphasized the significance of the act of returning ancient values. According to him, this is a successful result of a bilateral agreement on the prohibition of illegal import and export of cultural values signed between Turkey and Greece in 2013. The head of the department expressed hope for further strengthening the mechanisms of cooperation between the two countries.
Ersa emphasized the need for joint efforts in the field of counteracting the illegal trade in cultural values. In addition, the Turkish minister emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the preservation of cultural heritage.
Lina Mendoni, in turn, noted that Greece also faces the problem of theft of cultural values. The Greek Minister expressed satisfaction about the return of coins to legal owners.