Turkish Tradition and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy printed that Greece just lately returned 1,055 historic cash smuggled from Turkey right through the primary Turkey-Greece Tradition Discussion board in Cappadocia previous this month.
The cash had been returned after being seized via Greek government in 2025 and recognized as having been illegally got rid of from Turkey, in line with a June 6 commentary from the Turkish Tradition and Tourism Ministry.
Ersoy defined that the discussion board was once shaped to “strengthen cultural bridges between the two societies.”
Greek Tradition Minister Lina Mendoni was once additionally provide on the discussion board.
The seek advice from incorporated a travel to the Tokali (Buckle) Church in Cappadocia, the place the 2 ministers had been in a position to “examine our cultural heritage sites” and evaluate the standing of the recovery paintings being carried out there, Ersoy stated in a put up to X/Twitter.
“The launch of the first Greece-Turkey Cultural Forum here, in Cappadocia, a place of unique historical and cultural significance, where peoples, traditions, religions and civilizations have met for centuries, leaving an extremely dense and multi-layered imprint on the history of the wider region, lends special symbolism to our meeting today,” said Mendoni in at the ceremony.
“Culture,” she noted. “is not just another area of bilateral cooperation. It is perhaps the deepest and most enduring field of communication between our societies.”
“History has brought our two peoples together for centuries, creating interactions, exchanges, shared experiences and mutual influences that have been imprinted in memory, art, architecture, language and the very cities and landscapes of the Eastern Mediterranean.”
“Its protection is not only a national obligation. It is a universal responsibility. It is an act of respect for historical memory and future generations,” she said.
The two ministers held several talks regarding future cooperation between the two countries in the field of culture and the fight against antiquities trafficking.
Further, Ersoy reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to supporting Greece in its fight to return the Parthenon Statues from the United Kingdom, as well as any resolutions spearheaded by the Mediterranean country regarding the return of artifacts to their home countries.
He wired that Turkey’s beef up displays the significance the rustic puts on maintaining cultural heritage inside of its ancient and cultural context.
Combatting the unlawful trafficking of antiquities “would be a gain not only for both countries but for humanity’s shared memory and the scientific world as a whole,” stated Ersoy.
