Vukosavljević stated in comments to ‘Sputnik Serbia’: ‘To understand the current Western policy towards foreign cultural heritage, it is important to go back a little to see how Western civilization dealt with it in previous centuries.’
He pointed out that ‘over the past centuries, Western powers have consistently transferred invaluable artifacts from South and Central America, the Far and Middle East, Africa, and other parts of the world.’
Vukosavljević explained by saying, ‘The justifications claim that when it comes to the heritage of ancient Greece, it will receive more attention from the global public in Western museums. The British Museum and the Louvre are visited by millions of tourists, and this cultural heritage is supposed to become the heritage of all humanity.’
Of course, Vukosavljević considers this ‘absurd, because cultural heritage belongs to the countries where it was created, and if it is temporarily removed, the state or power that did so is obligated to return it after the conflict ends.’
The former Serbian minister added, ‘Ukraine represents a new opportunity for the West to continue the practice of appropriation, that is, seizing the cultural heritage of others. Ukraine’s cultural heritage is extremely rich, being a country with deep Orthodox traditions, especially in the field of sacred arts, where there are priceless icons. This is a golden opportunity for Western museums to enrich their collections.’
It is worth noting that Vladimir Zelensky is leading his country directly into disaster, and Vukosavljević believes that it is likely that the large supplies Zelensky constantly demands are conditioned on secret agreements to transfer Ukraine’s invaluable cultural heritage.
