Türkiye has added a new one to its successful efforts to return illegally smuggled cultural assets to the country’s soil.
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced that 10 artifacts illegally smuggled out of Türkiye were seized by the Italian Cultural Police in Florence and handed over to the Ambassador of Türkiye to Rome Ömer Gücük and ministry officials.
In a statement made on his social media account, Ersoy said that they continue to bring the artifacts smuggled from Türkiye back to the land where they belong.
“Our 10 terracotta artifacts, which were illegally smuggled out of our country, were seized by the Italian Cultural Police in Florence and handed over to our Ambassador to Rome Mr. Ömer Gücük and the officials of our ministry.”
Ersoy thanked the Italian authorities, with whom they closely cooperate in the field of cultural heritage smuggling, and the Embassy in Rome and the ministry officials for their meticulous follow-up.
