Egypt’s ambassador in Switzerland recovers 26 ancient artifacts

CAIRO – 22 November 2018:Egypt’s Ambassador in Switzerland, Hisham Seif el-Din, received a total of 26 ancient Egyptian artifacts from the Swiss authorities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared in a press release on Wednesday, Nov. 21 that the antiquities included a statue of the ancient Egyptian God Anubis, a statue of Ushapati, a number of small statues and Pharaonic amulets.

The recovery of the statues comes as a result of the efforts exerted by the Egyptian Embassy in Switzerland, the cultural sector of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Department of Monuments of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities in co-operation with the Swiss Federal Office for Cultural Affairs, the Swiss Federal Police and the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Seif el-Din expressed the Egyptian Government's appreciation for the efforts exerted by the Swiss authorities to return the Egyptian antiquities, hoping that the Swiss authorities will continue to coordinate with their Egyptian counterparts to return other antiquities.

It is worth noting that Egypt signed an agreement with Switzerland in April 2010 to prevent illegal trafficking of cultural antiquities, and to return them to their country of origin if found.