Russia should allow museum loans to China, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan - Shvydkoy

MOSCOW. Aug 28 (Interfax) - The Russian moratorium on art loans to foreign exhibitions should be made selective to exclude certain countries such as China, India, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Russia's Special Presidential Representative for International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy said.

"I think that, in principle, the moratorium on taking works of art out of Russia should be made selective, after all. Granted, nothing should be sent to Europe, America or somewhere else. But there are countries to which we could and should send, in my opinion, to China for example," Shvydkoy told a press conference on Monday.

An exception also could be made for Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which "have ironclad guarantees and the flight logistics that are not destructive," he said.

China is the "most reliable partner in terms of museum affairs," Shvydkoy said.

India, too, could be an exception, if it provides safety guarantees, save for fine arts, given the country's problematic climate, he said.

The Russian moratorium on museum loans to foreign exhibitions has been in place since March 3, 2022. Cooperation with friendly countries, in particular lending them works of art for exhibitions, is to resume in 2023. In July 2022 Shvydkoy told Interfax that museum loans were suspended until mid-2023. Later, in an interview with Interfax, he said that inter-museum exchanges were unlikely to resume right up until 2025, Russian artifacts not being protected in unfriendly countries.