Guardian daily covers Turkey's "cultural war"

According to the British Guardian daily, Turkey has barred foreign archaeologists from excavation sites in the country and threatened the leading museums and archeological institutions in Berlin, Paris and New York, indicating that thousands of its archaeological treasures have been brought abroad illegally. Reportedly, after its 3,300-year-old Hittite sphinx was returned last year, permits for reconditioning and restoration work were renewed for the German Archaeological Institute. Stating that Turkey is also in dispute with the Louvre in Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the British Museum over similar reasons, the article also quoted Turkey's Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay as saying that 4,067 artifacts were returned to Turkey from 2002 to 2012. The Guardian daily also wrote that Gunay said "Ankara's demands coincided with a new-found pride in the country's cultural heritage,” adding, "Our museum inventory is now on a par with that of European museums." The Guardian added that Gunay also said, "The times when we simply exhibited artifacts in cupboards is over. We have caught up what we have taken back is only a very small part of what we will take back."