Minister pledges action on repatriation of antiquities

Finding ancient Cypriot artefacts is of crucial importance to the justice ministry and measures will be undertaken to protect cultural heritage, Justice Minister Anna Procopiou said on Wednesday.

In statements after a meeting with the antiquities department director Dr Marina Solomidou Ieronymidou, the justice minister discussed the importance of training judges for protecting antiquities.

Procopiou thanked Ieronymidou for her efforts in repatriating ancient Cypriot artefacts that have been stolen from the north and are found in either state or private collections abroad.

“The various legal systems of countries with Cypriot antiquities, make their repatriation difficult. However, cooperation with public prosecutors from abroad and the use of diplomacy allows us to reap significant benefits,” Ieronymidou said.

She thanked the police for their help and cooperation and called for more support with as many resources as possible.

During the meeting, Ieronymidou and Procopiou discussed ideas for various programmes that could be utilised ahead of Cyprus taking up the presidency of the Council of the EU.

Police chief Stelios Papatheodorou also attended the meeting, along with other police and justice ministry officials.