Deputy Minister of Culture: The agreement with the United States regarding the protection of antiquities is suspicious

Published on September 10, 2023
Ansarollah website – Sanaa

Deputy Minister of Culture, Muhammad Haidara, described the agreement signed by the mercenary government with the United States on the protection of Yemeni antiquities as suspicious.

Haidara explained, in a statement to Al Masirah on Sunday, that the agreement comes in the context of the United States’ efforts to cover the thefts that affected Yemeni antiquities during the years of aggression and siege.

He pointed out that there are 16 global auctions to sell stolen Yemeni antiquities, including 5 in the United States, 4 in Britain, two auctions in the Zionist entity, and an auction in France and the Netherlands.

He pointed out that about 8,000 artifacts were smuggled from Yemen during the years of aggression, stressing that 2,165 of those artifacts are for sale in the United States, 972 in the Netherlands, 501 in the Zionist entity, 421 in France, and 135 in Germany.

For his part, Abbad Al-Hayal, head of the General Authority for the Protection of Antiquities and Museums, said that the agreement with the United States is to cover the thefts that affected Yemeni antiquities.