HELSINKI (Reuters) – Russian artworks seized by Finnish customs should be returned to the museums that own them, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said on Thursday.
Finnish customs said on Wednesday it had stopped works of art worth around 42 million euros ($46 million) from being returned to Russia last weekend due to European Union sanctions, and would consult with Brussels on their status as luxury goods.
“They are part of Russian cultural heritage and belong to museums and it should be possible to return them there,” Haavisto told an online news conference.
Finnish customs impounded the artworks because EU sanctions imposed on Russia had not taken into account assets owned by museums, Haavisto said, and added he thought there probably are similar deliveries currently on the move in Europe.
“The rules at this point do not include this necessary exception and surely this will be corrected in Brussels to allow the paintings to be returned to where they belong,” he said.
Russia’s foreign ministry had summoned Finland’s ambassador earlier on Thursday to protest at the decision to impound works of art belonging to Russian museums, the Russian and Finnish foreign ministries said.
“In the meeting Ambassador Antti Helantera clarified Finland’s stance on the matter in which Finnish Customs is the authority in charge,” a Finnish foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters by email.
Customs seized three haulages of paintings, statues and antiquities on their way back to Russia via Finland from Italy and Japan, where had been temporarily on loan from Russian museums and art galleries, according to Sami Rakshit, director of the Finnish customs enforcement department.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
