Turkey determined to return its assets to their place of origin

Turkey has taken another step to ensure the return of its historical artifacts which have been brought from its own territory to museums abroad. "Turkish challenge in the European Court of Human Rights will be a test case for the repatriation of art from one nation to another, a potential disaster for the world's museums," the Observer daily wrote, adding, "An Istanbul lawyer, Remzi Kazmaz, told the Observer that a lawsuit will be filed at the European court on 30 January and that 30 lawyers are acting on behalf of the town of Bodrum as well as district and provincial governors, the Turkish ministry of culture and other bodies. Kazmaz said: ‘We thank the British authorities and the British Museum for accommodating and preserving our historical and cultural heritage for the last years. However, the time has come for these assets to be returned to their place of origin ... Preparations for formal requests are taking place now’." The Observer daily added that a petition with 118,000 signatures has been organized and the Strasbourg court would be shown a documentary on how Turkey lost its ancient treasure.