BRUSSELS, August 20 (RIA Novosti) – A museum in Amsterdam said Wednesday it would keep the collection of golden Scythian items caught in the ownership dispute between Ukraine and its former republic of Crimea until the sides resolve their dispute peacefully or in court.
“The Allard Pierson Museum has decided (for the time being) to not make a decision as to which of the parties the disputed objects should be handed over to,” reads a museum communique obtained by RIA Novosti.
“The Allard Pierson Museum will abide by a ruling by a qualified judge or arbitrator, or further agreement between parties,” the communique reads.
"The disputed objects will be safely stored until more becomes clear. Because the matter might be adjudicated on, the Allard Pierson Museum will refrain from any further comment," the document says.
Four museums in the Crimea state that the objects that they lent out should be returned to them once the exhibition ends, according to the statement by the museum.
The Ukrainian Culture Ministry said that the items in the collection would be returned to Kiev, since they are considered Ukrainian property. The Netherlands did not confirm this information, saying that the issue should be resolved by the museums, involved in the matter.
A collection of rare gold artifacts was sent to the Netherlands in February for an exhibition. The collection is displayed in an exhibition entitled “Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea” that showcases artifacts from five Ukrainian museums, four of which are located in Crimea.
In March, the Ukrainian government demanded the gold back to itself, not Crimea, in light of the latter reunifying with Russia. Crimea, however, dismissed these claims as groundless.
