BUDAPEST – Greece’s Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni received nine ancient vessels that are being returned to Greece at a special ceremony in the Museum of Fine Arts of Budapest that was attended by Hungary’s Deputy Minister of Innovation Anita Kiss-Hegyi.
According to an announcement by the Ministry of Culture, the return of the nine ancient vessels constitutes a new and significant step in addressing a long-standing case of antiquities trafficking, highlighting Greece’s continuous and consistent effort to protect and repatriate its cultural assets to their place of origin.
Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni received nine ancient vessels that are being repatriated to Greece in a special ceremony at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest – attended by Hungary’s Deputy Minister of Innovation Anita Kiss-Hegyi. (PRESS OFFICE OF THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE/EUROKINISSI)
The antiquities, which had been stolen from the Archaeological Museum of Argos between 1970 and 1992, are returning to after a long effort that began in 2008. Officials of the Ministry of Culture, through systematic and well-documented work, proved that the nine vessels originate from an excavation in Argolis, the same announcement notes.
Negotiations, which at times faced stagnation and major difficulties, intensified over the past six years, including through diplomatic channels. They were successfully concluded with an agreement between the Ministry of Culture of Greece, the Ministry of Culture of Hungary, and the Museum of Fine Arts, resulting in the handover of the nine vessels.
Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni received nine ancient vessels that are being repatriated to Greece in a special ceremony at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest – attended by Hungary’s Deputy Minister of Innovation Anita Kiss-Hegyi. (PRESS OFFICE OF THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE/EUROKINISSI)
Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni noted that “the process of claiming thirteen additional antiquities, which appear to come from the same collection, remains active. The protection of cultural heritage is not a field of confrontation; it is a field of cooperation. It is a shared responsibility of peoples to protect it and pass it on to future generations based on the principles of sustainable development. In a few months, at the end of June, the Ministry of Culture will complete the full renovation of the Archaeological Museum of Argos, including its expansion and reinstallation of exhibits, and will return it to the citizens and visitors of Argolis. There, the nine vessels will find their permanent place, with their story recorded, awaiting their ‘siblings.’”
Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni received nine ancient vessels that are being repatriated to Greece in a special ceremony at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest – attended by Hungary’s Deputy Minister of Innovation Anita Kiss-Hegyi. (PRESS OFFICE OF THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE/EUROKINISSI)
As part of the ceremony, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Greece and Hungary, which will strengthen the framework of cooperation between the two countries.