The court in the Netherlands decided to transfer the “Scythian gold” to Ukraine

The Amsterdam Court of Appeal ruled to transfer to Ukraine a collection of “Scythian gold”, consisting of two thousand exhibits. About it informs RIA News”. The judge indicated that the decision could be appealed to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. The proceedings have been going on for seven years.

The decision of the court was commented on by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. “We always take back what belongs to us. After the “Scythian gold” we will return the Crimea “, – wrote he’s on Twitter.

The deputy head of the working group on international legal issues at the permanent representation of Crimea under the President of the Russian Federation, Alexander Molokhov, called the court’s decision politicized and assured that it would be appealed. “The entry into force of this decision means a gross violation of the right of the people of Crimea to access their own cultural heritage, which was guaranteed by a number of international legal acts. Returning the collection to Ukraine contradicts the basic principles of inter-museum exchange, the rules for preserving archaeological finds in an inextricable connection with the area from which they originate “, – quotes Molokhov “Interfax”.

The collection of exhibits was taken from four Crimean museums for an exhibition at the Allard Pearson Museum in Amsterdam in February 2014. After Russia annexed Crimea, the Dutch museum decided not to transfer the exhibits to either Ukraine or Russia until a court decision.

In 2016 the District Court of Amsterdam decided transfer the collection to Ukraine, but also ordered her to pay the Netherlands about 100 thousand euros for the preservation of the collection. The Minister of Justice of Ukraine Pavel Petrenko called this decision legal and added that it corresponds to world practice.

The then Minister of Culture of Russia Vladimir Medinsky statedthat this can only be regarded as theft. Crimean museums have appealed the decision of the Dutch court.

The estimated insured value of the “Scythian gold” is about 2 million euros, the real value of the exhibits is much higher, said the Minister of Culture of Crimea Arina Novoselskaya.