The United States sent six ancient Egyptian artifacts back to the Egyptian government.
Handed over to Egypt’s ambassador to the US, Motaz Zahran, by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the six pieces were a renewed demonstration of the US of its commitment to stopping the flow of illegal and looted Egyptian artifacts, the ICE said in a statement.
It added that US Homeland Security officials had carried out investigations that led to the seizure of mummified animal remains, a wooden figurine, an amulet, a scarab, and fragment of a statue.
The oldest of the artifacts is believed to date back to 1500 BC.
The US government consistently coordinates with Egyptian authorities on returning priceless Egyptian artifacts to Egypt, the ICE said.
It added that it has recovered and returned to more than 40 countries over 20,000 artifacts since 2007.
Egypt and the US renewed in November a Memorandum of Understanding that strengthens the protection of Egypt’s cultural patrimony and enables bilateral cooperation to disrupt the trafficking of archeological artifacts and cultural objects.
The MOU facilitates continued direct co-operation between law-enforcement agencies in the two countries and efforts to identify, interdict, and return trafficked cultural heritage from Egypt.
The latest repatriation is part of a long history of co-operation between the US and Egypt on antiquities and cultural heritage preservation, the ICE said.
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