The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has raised the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, during his official visit to the UK. Downing Street was under the impression that the Greek government had given assurances that Mr Mitsotakis would not raise the topic. However, during an interview with the BBC, the Greek PM likened the act of having the treasures in London and Athens to cutting the Mona Lisa painting in half. As a result, the planned meeting between the Greek leader and UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, was cancelled.
The collection of ancient Greek sculptures were taken from the Parthenon centuries ago by British diplomat Lord Elgin and are now in the British Museum. Both Greece and the UK have longstanding positions on the sculptures, but diplomatic discussions were due to focus on other topics.
The transport secretary, Mark Harper, described the cancellation of the high-level meeting as a “matter of regret” and Greek’s stance regarding the sculptures as “crystal clear and has remained unchanged throughout the years.” The issue of the Parthenon Marbles’ return comes amid a wider debate around museums and their collections in a post-colonial world.
The British Museum’s Chair of Trustees, George Osborne, who previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, previously suggested finding “some kind of arrangement to allow some of the sculptures to spend some of their time in Greece.” Any decision regarding the future of the sculptures is likely months away
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