Crimean Museums to Appeal Dutch Court Decision to Give Scythian Gold to Kiev

Crimean museums will appeal a decision of an Amsterdam court that a collection of the Scythian gold which was on loan to the Netherlands should return to Ukraine, Anastasia Sivitskaya, a lawyer of the Iniurcolleguia firm which represents the museums, said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The collection of the Scythian gold which is a part of the "Crimea. Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea" exhibition was brought to the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam in early February 2014. The collection was provided by five museums, one in Kiev and four in Crimea.

The dispute over the exhibition arose after Crimea reunified with Russia following a 2014 referendum. Earlier on Wednesday, the District Court of Amsterdam ruled that the Scythian gold artifacts should return to Kiev.

"The decision to transfer [the gold] to Ukraine will enter into force after the case has been considered in a court of appeal. The appeal will be filed," Sivitskaya told RIA Novosti.

Moreoverm according to Sivitskaya, the decision of a Dutch court runs counter to provisions of contacts and inter-museum cooperation.

“We are extremely disappointed by this decision. It does not only counter provisions of contacts, but also principles of inter-museum cooperation, the need to respect museums’ rights as cultural institutions, it destroys the unity of museum collections,” Sivitskaya said.