Egyptian Ambassador to Belgium Khaled Aly El Bakly received two artifacts from the Belgian government that were illegally taken out of the country, Arab News reported.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said one of the artifacts is a colorful limestone figurine in the form of a standing person, dating back to the times of the Old Kingdom, and the second is a ushabti funerary figurine made of clay. It dates back to the late era of ancient Egyptian civilization.

The items were delivered and presented at a ceremony hosted by the Belgian Ministry of Economy.

Khaled Aly El Bakly noted that Egypt and Belgium have made an important step towards each other. It promotes further cooperation between these countries in various fields, especially in matters relating to the return of Egyptian antiquities taken out by smugglers.

The Ambassador also invited the people of Belgium to visit tourist sites in Egypt and get to know more about the history of this ancient country.

According to the chief inspector of the antiquities authority, Egypt has been working to get the statues back to their homeland since 2016, after it became known that the Belgian authorities had acquired them at auction. An investigation by specialists showed that there were no documents for the artifacts.