The controversy surrounding the Elgin Marbles has become a source of conflict between the governments of Greece and Great Britain. The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was scheduled to meet with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in London, but the meeting was cancelled by Downing Street at the last minute. The move prompted a spokesman for Mr. Mitsotakis to express disappointment, describing the situation as “the 11th hour cancellation of a meeting between two allies.”
The cancellation is linked to Mitsotakis’s recent comments on the contentious issue of the Elgin Marbles. The Parthenon Sculptures, as they are also known, are ancient Greek artefacts that were taken to the United Kingdom by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century. Speaking to the BBC, Mitsotakis expressed his belief that the sculptures ought to be returned to Greece. He likened the current situation, in which some of the artefacts are housed at the British Museum while the rest are located in Athens, to “cutting the Mona Lisa in half.”
The decision to cancel the meeting with Sunak was met with some surprise by the Greek government, which had expressed eagerness to discuss issues of mutual interest between Athens and London, including the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, climate change, and migration. The decision to cancel the meeting was defended by a senior Conservative source, who insisted that the Elgin Marbles were “part of the permanent collection of the British Museum and belong here.”
Despite the setback, Mitsotakis continued his diplomatic mission in the UK and met with Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. The issue of the Elgin Marbles remains unresolved, however, and is likely to continue to provoke controversy between Greece and Great Britain
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