Greece formally has returned 48 ancient artifacts to Cyprus — objects spanning the Early Bronze Age to the medieval period that had belonged to the private collection of the late Greek Ambassador Christos Zacharakis, whose heirs surrendered them to the Greek state with a request that they be returned to their country of origin.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni handed the antiquities to Cypriot Deputy Culture Minister Lina Kassianidou.
"Today we return 48 antiquities of Cypriot culture to the place that created them," Mrs. Mendoni said, framing the transfer as an ethical obligation of nations to restore cultural heritage to its origins.
The ceremony coincided with an informal EU culture ministers' meeting in Nicosia.
Mrs. Mendoni raised the issue of looted cultural assets in the occupied northern territory of Cyprus, citing the ancient cities of Salamis and Enkomi.
Mrs. Kassianidou in turn reaffirmed Cyprus's support for Greece's campaign to recover the Parthenon Sculptures from the British Museum — a bilateral exchange of solidarity on heritage disputes that both sides described as a practical model for European cultural cooperation.
The repatriation comes weeks after a UNESCO committee in Paris formally recognised for the first time that the Parthenon Sculptures are an inseparable part of Greek cultural identity — a ruling that also cited the absence of any verified Ottoman authorisation for their removal.