Head of the Office for Combating Illegal Possession and Trafficking of Antiquities at Cyprus Police Headquarters, Michalis Gavrielides, has described the repatriation of the Royal iconostasis doors of the church of Agios Anastasios in the Turkish occupied Peristeronopigi village, from Japan, as particularly important, noting, in statements, to CNA that this is the first time that an artefact is being repatriated from an Asian country.
Gavrielides underlined that the strengthening of relations between Cyprus and Japan, with the opening of an embassy of Japan in Nicosia and an embassy of Cyprus in Tokyo, played a catalytic role in the outcome of this case.
“We hope to have further cooperation with countries of Asia that is now a market for the trafficking of antiquities, apart from European countries or the US,” he noted. He explained that after the connection of the illegal trafficking of antiquities with terrorism and organised crime stricter controls take place in European countries and the US, and therefore markets operate in other countries which are accessible to antiquities smugglers and “we see that there is a new trend towards the Asian countries.”
Asked about other such cases concerning the repatriation of artefacts that are pending, he noted that there are at least three of them for which procedures are underway.
On his part, the Ambassador of Cyprus to Japan, Charis Moritsis, told CNA that the Embassy of the Republic in Tokyo was involved in this case since 2019 when it began operating.
“We were asked to contribute to the task of the competent authority which is the Antiquities Department. Since the aim was clear, the cooperation of the involved parties was excellent and the instructions which the Embassy received by the Foreign Ministry were clear, due to previous experience on these issues, difficulties faced were just procedural,” he noted.
Therefore, he added, the efforts reached a conclusion with the appropriate discretion and effectiveness.
Moritsis underlined that “our obligation is not only to repatriate the treasures of our heritage but also to be well aware that the aim is to return these treasures back where they belong.”
In his statements to CNA, the Head of the Office for Combating Illegal Possession and Trafficking of Antiquities at Cyprus Police Headquarters said that in the case of the Royal iconostasis doors of the church of Agios Anastasios there was a continuous contact between the Antiquities Department, the Foreign Ministry and the competent authorities of Japan. “We operated as advisers of the Antiquities Department and the Foreign Ministry on how to handle issues. In this case the efforts were made by diplomatic means, always with the support, guidance and contribution of our office, which had an advisory role,” he added.
Referring more generally to the role of his office in the repatriation of artefacts, Gavrielides said that when an artefact is tracked down they notify the country where it is located through the National Interpol Office, with a view to stop any purchase, or to ask for an investigation, and to come into contact with the authorities of the other country.
Moreover he noted that the procedure is different when an artefact will be repatriated from a country with which Cyprus has interstate agreements or other agreements which facilitate the repatriation.
Asked about other such cases which are still pending, he said that there are at least three of them which concern religious items and antiquities which were illegally removed from the occupied areas of Cyprus, and are now in European or third countries, noting that procedures are underway for their repatriation.
We are at a very good stage, he noted, adding that in these cases there is a combination of criminal investigation, use of the diplomatic relations and activation of some bilateral agreements and protocols in place.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.
The Royal iconostasis doors have returned to Cyprus after extensive efforts that intensified in the last two years, thus concluding one of the most renowned and at the same time complex cases of repatriation.
The Royal iconostasis doors were located in Japan in the 1990s at the Kanazawa College of Art.
Source: Cyprus News Agency