Ethiopia Secures Possession of Historical Artifacts in The Hague: MoFA

The Embassy of Ethiopia in The Hague has secured Possession of a set of historical artifacts, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the statement from ministry, the possessed set of historical artifacts are three medieval illuminated Ethiopic manuscripts, dating before the 15th century, and two Coptic textile fragments from an earlier period that were due to be sold in the Netherlands.
The artifacts were about to be presented to auction at Venduehuis der Notarissen in the Netherlands on 25th June 2021, the statement pointed out.
“On 18th June 2021, the Embassy hence made a formal request to the Auctioneer to halt the sale of the items pending an investigation into whether the objects were procured and exported out of Ethiopia illegally,” it added.
Following the vendor’s decision to withdraw the items from auction based on this request, on the 2nd of July 2021, the artifacts have been donated to the Embassy by an anonymous intermediary and friend of Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Embassy at The Hague is working on arrangements for the eventual return of the artifacts to their rightful location in Ethiopia.

Source: Ethiopia News agency