JAKARTA - Efforts to repatriate Indonesian cultural artifacts from the United States continue to move forward. The Ministry of Culture and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) strengthened coordination to accelerate the process of repatriating or repatriating Indonesian cultural heritage abroad.
This development emerged in a meeting between Minister of Culture Fadli Zon and the Legal Attaché of the FBI for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Robert F. Lafferty, at the Ministry of Culture Office, Jakarta, Tuesday (24/6).
The meeting discussed the progress of the repatriation process of Indonesian cultural artifacts from the United States as well as steps to strengthen cooperation in the protection of cultural heritage between the two countries.
Minister of Culture Fadli Zon appreciates the support of the FBI, which has been involved in the repatriation process of Indonesian cultural artifacts. According to Fadli, the repatriation of cultural heritage is not only returning historical objects to the homeland, but also part of efforts to maintain national identity and expand public access to national cultural heritage.
"We really appreciate the cooperation that has been carried out so far in the effort to repatriate Indonesian cultural artifacts. Since the establishment of the Ministry of Culture, we have been trying to restore and return the national cultural heritage through various forms of international cooperation," said Fadli.
Fadli said the government also wanted to build a clearer and more effective coordination mechanism so that the repatriation process could run faster in the future.
"We want to know the various obstacles that may still be faced from our side. Therefore, we are committed to building clearer procedures and speeding up the necessary processes so that efforts to repatriate cultural heritage can run better," he said.
Meanwhile, Robert F. Lafferty assessed the coordination between the FBI, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Indonesian Embassy showed positive results.
According to Robert F. Lafferty, the process of repatriating Indonesian cultural artifacts has made significant progress in the past year.
"In the past year we have seen very good developments. We hope that this process can be completed soon so that the artifacts can return to Indonesia," said Robert F. Lafferty.
He also emphasized the FBI's commitment to continue supporting the repatriation of Indonesian cultural artifacts.
"We are happy to be part of this process. Cooperation like this shows how the protection of cultural heritage can be a positive space for collaboration between the two countries," he said.
The meeting was also attended by the Director General of Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cultural Cooperation Endah T.D. Retnoastuti, Director of Cultural Diplomacy Raden Usman Effendi, Director of Cultural Heritage Agus Widiatmoko, Head of Museum and Cultural Heritage Indira Estiyanti Nurjadin, and founder of Artha Graha Group Tomy Winata.
The Ministry of Culture stated that it would continue to strengthen international cooperation to support the protection, restoration, and utilization of Indonesian cultural heritage. The repatriation of artifacts is part of efforts to ensure that the nation's cultural heritage can be used again for the benefit of education, research, and strengthening the identity of Indonesian culture.
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