PASOK leader & Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos is no stranger to dealing with the Parthenon Sculptures issue. He has been quiet about it in public though, since he lost his position as Culture Minister after Nea Demokratia took power in the 2004 general election.

Today though, he had the opportunity to speak to the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg, about the return of looted cultural artefacts, where he mentioned both the case of the Parthenon Marbles, as well as the various more recent cases that have arisen in Cyprus since the 1974 Turkish occupation.

PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos

From:
Famagusta Gazette

Greek FM refers to destruction of Cyprus’ cultural heritage in occupied north
Thursday, 17 April, 2014

Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos, speaking before the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a member state, referred to the need to return the Parthenon marbles to Greece and the damage that Cyprus` cultural treasures have suffered since the 1974 Turkish invasion.

He said that the new directive regarding the return of cultural objects is clearly improved compared to the one that existed since 1993 and it will be an important instrument in handling illegal trafficking of cultural artifacts, which is one of the widely used forms of organised crime.
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China & Cyprus are very different countries in many ways. They do however both face problems with looting of archaeological sites, with the spoils from these actions often eventually ending up in auctions abroad.

It is great to see them signing an agreement to clamp down on this, although the idea of countries signing numerous bilateral agreements for an issue such as this clearly does not scale well, when you consider the number of countries involved in similar issues.

Cyprus Communications Minister Tasos Mitsopoulos and China’s Culture deputy-minister Li Xiaojie

From:
Cyprus Mail

October 29, 2013
Cyprus and China agree to safeguard artefacts

Cyprus and China have signed a bilateral agreement to safeguard their archaeological objects and prevent their illicit trading.

Communications Minister Tasos Mitsopoulos and China’s Culture deputy-minister Li Xiaojie signed on Tuesday on behalf of their respective countries a memorandum of cooperation to prevent trading of stolen goods and illicit excavations.
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More coverage of the Cypriot icon returned by Boy George after he discovered that it had been looted.

From:
Guardian

Boy George returns lost icon to Cyprus church
Singer had no idea the religious artefact hanging above his fireplace was looted from a Cypriot church in 1974
Sean Michaels
Thursday 20 January 2011 12.32 GMT

Boy George has returned a stolen Cypriot artefact that had been missing for almost 40 years. The singer said he was unaware that an icon of Jesus Christ which had hung in his living room for decades was looted from a church in Nicosia. Church officials noticed the portrait during a TV interview with Boy George, where it appeared in the background.

The Culture Club singer bought the artefact “with good faith” from a London art dealer in 1985. “[I] have looked after the icon for 26 years,” he told BBC News. “[I’m] happy it is going back to its original rightful home.”
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The singer Boy George has returned an icon that was looted from a Cypriot church. He was not aware that the icon was looted until he was contacted by a Cypriot bishop who saw it in the background during an interview with the singer. The singer decided to return the icon once he found out, as he felt that it was the right thing to do.

Interestingly, he suggested that others should follow his lead and do the right thing – with the comment on twitter:

The Elgin Marbles next? http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2011/01/bishop_posyrios_and_an_icon.shtml

@BoyGeorge
Tue 18 Jan 19:41

You can see a picture of the bishop with the icon here.

From:
BBC News

19 January 2011 Last updated at 17:32
Boy George returns Christ icon to Cyprus church

Musician Boy George has agreed to return to the Church of Cyprus an icon of Christ that came into his possession 11 years after the Turkish invasion.

The former Culture Club singer bought the piece from a London art dealer in 1985 without knowing its origin.
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Since 1974, many artefacts from Cypriot churches have appeared in auctions & private collections around the world. The Church of Cyprus is now increasing their efforts to secure the return of many of these items however.

From:
London Daily News

20 November, 2010 12:49 (GMT +00:00)
“Indiana Jones” search for stolen Cypriot icons across Europe
International News Desk

The Church of Cyprus has increased its efforts to search and repatriate stolen icons from the Mediterranean island with international observers describing the campaign as something resembling an “Indiana Jones” pursuit.

The Church of Cyprus has escalated its efforts across Europe to repatriate stolen byzantine artefacts from the northern third of the island which has been illegally occupied by the Turkish army since invasion of July 1974. It has long been the case that the Turkish troops and settlers have been selling important icons or religious artefacts to the open market, prompting the Church of Cyprus to start a campaign to find and repatriate them. This strategic goal among others has been undertaken by the Representation of the Church of Cyprus to the European Institutions, based in Brussels.
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A court in Munich has ruled that various artefacts looted from churches & monasteries in Northern Cyprus should be returned, after they were found hidden in the false wall of an two apartments in 1997.

From:
Cyprus Mail

German court order return of stolen Cypriot treasures
By Natali Hami and George Psyllides Published on September 28, 2010

SCORES of valuable religious artefacts looted from churches in the Turkish-occupied north are a step closer to repatriation following the decision of a German court.

Last week, a court in Munich ordered the return of the artefacts stolen by Turkish national Aydin Dikmen, after the invasion of the island in 1974.
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Egypt is holding a conference on stolen & looted antiquities, bringing together representatives from many of the nations that are requesting returns. Hopefully, many other countries can learn from some of Egypt’s recent successes in this field.

From:
BBC News

Page last updated at 01:23 GMT, Wednesday, 7 April 2010 02:23 UK
Egypt hosts meeting on recovery of ‘stolen treasures’

Global culture officials are to meet to discuss how to recover ancient treasures which they say have been stolen and displayed overseas.

Sixteen countries will be represented at the two-day conference in Cairo.
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Professor Dimitrios Pantermalis is visiting Nicosia next week to give a lecture about the New Acropolis Museum.

From:
Cyprus Mail

President of Acropolis Museum in Cyprus
Published on February 17, 2010

PRESIDENT of the New Acropolis Museum, archaeologist Dimitrios Pantermalis, will visit Cyprus next week and will give a lecture in Nicosia.

According to an announcement issued by the Cyprus Department of Antiquities, which is organising the lecture, Pantermanis will speak on the New Acropolis Museum, its Architecture and its Exhibition Programme.

The Cyprus House of Representatives has called for “all countries as well as UNESCO to renew and intensify their efforts for the return of the Parthenon sculptures to Greece”.

From:
Athens News Agency

07/03/2009
Cyprus House call for Marbles

The Cyprus House of Representatives has called for the return of Parthenon sculptures to Greece. In a resolution which the House plenary adopted unanimously on Thursday, Cypriot MPs called on the British government and every other competent authority of the United Kingdom to give a definite end to the adventure of the Marbles, by returning them to their natural space.

Having debated the issue of the return of the Parthenon sculptures to Greece and taking into consideration the opening of the New Acropolis Museum, the House called on all countries as well as UNESCO to renew and intensify their efforts for the return of the Parthenon sculptures to Greece ”and for the reintegration of this unique element of the global cultural heritage to the natural space where it belongs”.
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