CAIRO: Australia has returned to Egypt 122 archaeological artifacts to Egypt, the state-run MENA news agency reported. They said Egyptian ambassador to Melbourne Omar Metwali reported he had received 122 artifacts that had been discovered at an auction house in the city last November. According to a statement from the Egyptian Embassy in Canberra, Australian officials uncovered the pieces after the embassy officially requested Australian authorities investigate the issue. The archeological pieces date back to the Pharaonic, Greek and Roman eras. The Egyptian ambassador hosted a big celebration in embassy headquarter and praised the Australian authorities' cooperation in restoring the pieces. Many Australian officials attended the celebration. “This is the third time the Australian authorities delivered archaeological pieces to Egypt in the past 6 months,” said Metwali. Australia is also set to host the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in Melbourne with the Tutankhamen Exhibition. Egypt has, in recent years, pushed to have countries across the globe return ancient artifacts. BM
