The head of Romanian diplomacy, Oana Toiu, on Thursday discussed with her Dutch counterpart Tom Berendsen the recovery of the golden helmet of Cotofenesti and Dacian bracelets.
"The golden helmet of Cotofenesti and the Dacian bracelets, treasures of Romania's heritage, 2,500 years old, are returning home. I spoke to Tom Berendsen, the foreign minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, about this extraordinary news. After a year of searches and joint efforts of our countries, we have concluded how important it is not to give up when the stake is such a valuable object for entire generations. Our thanks go to the teams of professionals who collaborated in the investigation. The constant communication between the authorities, through the ministries of foreign affairs and the interior, mattered a lot," Toiu wrote in a social media post on Thursday.
According to her, "it was essential that the Dutch authorities understood that the recovery of the treasure was absolutely necessary" for Romania, "although the insured value had already been transferred to the Romanian state".
"The priority has always been the inestimable value of the treasure for our identity, for the universal heritage and for the trust in the international exhibition circuit. The golden helmet of Cotofenesti and the bracelets were part of the exhibition "Dacia - The Land of Gold and Silver", hosted last year at the Drents Museum in Assen, and will be exhibited again soon, in front of the Romanian public, where we expect to enjoy their return home together," said Toiu.
She added that some essential aspects regarding the recovery of all four artifacts are to be completed: the assessment of the state of conservation and the establishment of the calendar of return to the Romanian state, in order to reintegrate them into the heritage of the National Museum of History of Romania.
"As a result of the activation of the international insurance and compensation mechanisms, Romania has collected the amount of EUR 5.85 million that will be returned after the specialised expertise confirms the state of conservation of the objects. The information received during the day regarding the integrity of the pieces is encouraging and we hope that they can be watched soon, at home, by all those who lived with emotion the period in which we feared we lost them. The trial continues in Assen so that those responsible answer for their actions, but the joy of recovering the treasure is already full. The cooperation for solving the case at the Drents Museum was carried out under the aegis of EUROJUST, by setting up a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), made up of prosecutors, judges and police officers from both countries," said Toiu.
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