Turkey manages to return some smuggled cultural assets back

Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry brought 151 cultural assets back to the country in 2009.

The ministry keeps exerting efforts for the return of several other artifacts in Germany, Russia, USA, Italy, France, Serbia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Ukraine and UK, tourism officials said on Monday.

Informing AA reporter on the steps taken as part of the return process, officials said that Turkish ministries of interior, foreign affairs and justice cooperated with international organizations while Turkish officials regularly scanned national and foreign press, auction catalogs, web-pages and publications for the return of the artifacts that had been smuggled from Turkey.

In the case of failure to bring back the assets in the light of bilateral talks and agreements, Turkish embassies and consulates communicate with advocacy firms to start legal proceedings, officials said.

Thanks to its successful activities, Turkish Ministry of Tourism and Culture managed to bring a total of 151 artifacts back to Turkey from countries such as Croatia, USA, Germany and Austria in 2009.

The returned historical objects comprise of coins, jewelry, bronze surgical tools, a pendulum, an oil lamp and a manuscript Qoran.

/World Bulletin/