Ukraine asks the Netherlands to return museum exhibits

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has formally requested that the Netherlands guarantee the return to Ukraine of exhibits from the exhibition "Crimea: Gold and Secrets from the Black Sea " from Amsterdam, announced foreign ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebyynis. The written request, addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, was handed to the ambassador of the Netherlands on March 28, Perebyynis reported. He said that the Embassy of Ukraine in the Netherlands is taking necessary steps to ensure the return to Ukraine of objects of its cultural heritage that are currently on display at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam. The exhibition "Crimea: Gold and Secrets from the Black Sea " opened at the Allard Pierson Museum, an archeological museum of the University of Amsterdam, in early February. The exhibits contains items belonging to five Ukrainian museums--one from Kyiv and four from Crimea. It features archeological finds, including more than 500 items: Scythian gold artifacts, ceremonial helmet, gems, swords, armor, ancient Greek and Scythian utensils. Since the Netherlands does not recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea, which took place after the opening of the exhibition, questions have been raised regarding the exhibition's return after it closes in August. Earlier, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for social affairs, Oleksandr Sych, said that Russian authorities are demanding that exhibits from Crimean museums that are currently outside Ukraine be shipped to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. source: http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/03/31/7020898/