Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein received the items from Swiss Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, the Iraqi foreign ministry said in a statement, noting that the artifacts are “very valuable and date back to the ancient Assyrian civilization.”
Iraq has received dozens of archaeological pieces from the Swiss government over the past two years.
“When an artifact goes back to its country of origin, it’s a piece of its history that returns home,” the Swiss interior minister said in a post on X.
“A pleasure to meet Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister @Fuad_Hussein1 at the restitution of 3 major artifacts. A big step in the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property,” she added.
Iraq’s museums and historical sites have been subjected to frequent looting and vandalism since the invasion by the United States in 2003, with the theft worsening after the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group swept through large swathes of the country in 2014. In recent years, the Iraqi government has taken strides to have the lost antiquities returned.
The foreign ministry last year announced that it has brought back over 34,500 artifacts since 2019.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, during his visit to attend the coronation of King Charles III last May, arranged the return of 6,000 artifacts that were taken by Britain a hundred years ago.
