Kosovo Culture Ministry demands sculpture from Belgrade

“The marble sculpture known as the 'Dardanian Lady' presents a unique example of the artistic creation of the indigenous population, created between the 2nd - 3rd century and Found in Vërban, Kllokot, Republic of Kosova,” the ministry said on its Twitter account. It said that 1,247 artifacts were removed from Kosovo in 1998-99 for a temporary exhibition and added that “Serbia is blatantly violation UNESCO conventions and the Ahtisaari document”. The Kosovo authorities are claiming that all the artifacts are in Belgrade.

1247 🇽🇰 artefacts unjustly and illegally held in Serbia.

The marble sculpture known as the 'Dardanian Lady' presents a unique example of the artistic creation of the indigenous population, created between the 2nd – 3rd century. Found in Vërban, Kllokot, Republic of Kosova. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/FWXKXgRPZy

— Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (@MKRS_KS) July 12, 2022

1247 🇽🇰 artefacts unjustly and illegally held in Serbia.

The KoSSev news portal recalled that this was the fourth demand from Pristina to Belgrade over the past six days. RTV KiM reported that the sculpture is included in a video on the Kosovo National Museum’s official YouTube channel, exhibited in the museum in Pristina.

The Serbian Ministry of Culture responded saying that the demands were “part of a continued campaign to try to take over cultural heritage and abuse it to construe non-existent statehood and cultural identity for Kosovo”. “The idea is to conduct propaganda by repeating a lie 100 times to make it the truth,” it said. The Serbian authorities have repeatedly said that any artifacts are Serbian cultural heritage and recalled that the Kosovo authorities failed to protect cultural heritage and that an institution that did not exist in1998-99 can’t claim any artifacts.