SIMFEROPOL, August 26. /TASS/. Another hearing of the Scythian gold case will take place in the Amsterdam Court of Appeal before the end of the year, while a final ruling is expected at the end of 2019 or at the beginning of 2020, Russian Permanent Presidential Envoy to Crimea Georgy Muradov told TASS.

In mid-July, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal postponed a verdict in the Scythian gold case, requesting the parties to provide further information, particularly on the ownership rights. According to the Court, the parties have been given two months to provide the requested information. "A final judgment may be expected in six to nine months’ time," the Court pointed out.

"As far as we know, another hearing was planned to take place before the end of the year. We expect the Court to make a final decision at the end of the year or at the beginning of next year," Muradov said.

He pointed out that Crimea considered the Court’s decision to postpone a verdict as a "promising signal indicating an intention to take the case seriously."

According to Muradov, a lower court’s decision that the collection should be returned to Ukraine ran counter to international museum laws. "The Scythian gold collection is a collection of Crimean treasures, it is the cultural heritage of the Crimean people. Under museum laws and the relevant contracts, the treasures should be returned to the Crimean museums where they had been kept before an exhibition in Europe. We are protecting our rights, our museums’ rights to the priceless artifacts that were put on display in Amsterdam and became a target for Kiev’s plundering policy," he said.

Scythian gold issue

The Scythian gold collection from the Crimean museums was put on view at the Allard Pierson Museum of the University of Amsterdam in February 2014 when Crimea was still part of Ukraine. However, after the peninsula reunited with Russia in March 2014, an uncertainty over the collection arose as both Russia and Ukraine claimed the exhibits. In this regard, the University of Amsterdam suspended the handover until either the dispute is legally resolved or the parties come to terms.

The Central Museum of Tavrida, the Kerch Historical and Cultural Preserve, the Bakhchysarai Historical and Cultural Preserve and the Chersonesus Historical and Cultural Preserve are among the museums whose items are being kept in Amsterdam. Items provided for the exhibition by a Kiev museum, were returned to Ukraine in September 2014.

In December 2016, the Amsterdam District Court ruled that the Scythian gold treasures be returned to Ukraine. The Crimean museums filed an appeal against this decision.