Parthenon marbles dispute will not hurt Greece-UK relations - Mitsotakis
World
Parthenon marbles dispute will not hurt Greece-UK relations - Mitsotakis
ATHENS/LONDON (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday that the cancellation of a meeting with his British counterpart over the Parthenon marbles was "unfortunate" but would not hurt relations between Greece and Britain in the long term.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called off a meeting with Mitsotakis in London on Tuesday, prompting an angry response from the Greek premier.
A British government spokesman later said Mitsotakis did not adhere to assurances that he would not publicly raise the issue of the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, known in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, from the British Museum to Athens.
Greek government officials said Mitsotakis had only reiterated his country's longstanding stance. Sunak's cancellation of the meeting was disrespectful and prevented the two leaders from discussing important global issues, they said.
"I believe the move (cancellation) will not hurt relations between Greece and Britain in the longer term," Mitsotakis told Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Greece has repeatedly called on the British Museum to permanently return the 2,500-year-old sculptures that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in 1806, during a period when Greece was under Ottoman Turkish rule.
About half of the 160-metre frieze that adorned the Parthenon in Athens is in the British Museum, while 50 metres of the carvings are in the Acropolis museum in Greece.
During a BBC interview on Sunday, Mitsotakis compared the separation of the sculptures to cutting the Mona Lisa in half, a characterisation rejected by the British government.
With Athens and London arguing over the cancellation of the meeting, the Parthenon marbles have drawn increased media attention, which may have backfired for Britain.
"The cancellation of this meeting also had a positive side. Greece's just demand for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures received even more publicity, not only in the UK but also internationally," Mitsotakis said.
In 2019, Greece said it would be willing to loan antiquities to the British Museum in return for being able to temporarily exhibit the Parthenon Sculptures in Athens and that such a deal would not alter its long-standing demand for their permanent return.
The trustees of the British museum have said they would consider a loan to Greece if Greece acknowledges the British Museum's ownership of the sculptures, which Greek governments have refused.
But in January, the British Museum called for a new Parthenon Partnership with Greece.
"Discussions with Greece about a Parthenon Partnership are on-going and constructive," said a British Museum spokesperson.
