Syrian authorities have accused Turkey of refusing to return the antiquities stolen from the cultural heritage sites in Syria.

The Director General of the Syrian Department of Antiquities and Museums, Maamoun Abdulkarim, said that more than 2 thousand items were stolen from various cultural heritage sites in Syria. These items were seized by Turkey, which, in contrast to other countries, is refusing to return them or provide any information about them, Reuters news agency reported on Friday.

“The Turkish government refuses to return (seized items). No information, no pictures,” Abdulkarim said, adding that Turkey should change its approach.

In turn, the Turkish Ministry of Culture called Abdoulkarim’s claims ‘unfounded.’

“Whenever we confiscate such ancient items, we have to return them to the institutions of the countries to which they belong… I think these statements are motivated by politics,” the representative of the ministry said, adding that the Turkish authorities are “doing everything possible to prevent the illegal export (antiquities).”

Relations between Damascus and Ankara became strained after attempts to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 were made, when Turkey supported the anti-government forces.