Restitution of several cultural objects to the Republic of Cyprus
On January 14th 2626 the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) handed over 10 items of Cypriote cultural propert.
On January 14th 2626 the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) handed over 10 items of Cypriote cultural property (byzantine lead seals, antique coins, small Phoenician amphoriskoi in blue, white and yellow marbled glass)* to the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Bern. The antique items were confiscated in cantonal criminal proceedings. The restitution of the Cypriote cultural objects is being carried out within the framework of the Federal Act on the International Transfer of Cultural Property, which implements the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
This restitution is part of the mutual commitment of the two countries to combat the illicit transfer of cultural property, which was further strengthened in 2014 with the entry into force of a bilateral agreement on the import and repatriation of such property.
*The objects date from a period between the 8th century BC and the 11th century AD.
