A crisis broke out between England and Greece over ancient Greek marble statues that were part of the Athenian Acropolis and are now on display in the British Museum in London. It was stated that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in London at the last minute at noon today.
“I EXPRESS MY DISTURBANCE”
In his statement, Mitsotakis said, “I express my discomfort with the British Prime Minister canceling our planned meeting hours before. Greece and the United Kingdom share long-standing ties of friendship and the scope of our bilateral relations is extensive. Greece’s stance on the Parthenon statues is well known. In addition to discussing this issue with my British counterpart, I expected to also address important global challenges such as the situations in Gaza and Ukraine, the climate crisis and migration. “Those who believe that their views are correct and fair are never afraid of confrontation,” he said.
Confirming that the meeting was canceled, the British government offered Mitsotakis to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden instead of Sunak. However, Mitsotakis turned down the offer.
“MİÇOTAKIS’ STATEMENTS DISTURBED SUNAK”
In his interview with the British media on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis stated that the negotiations regarding the return of the Parthenon statues, also known as the ‘Elgin Marbles’, to Athens were not progressing fast enough. Mitsotakis said that having some of the works in London and the rest in Athens would be like “splitting the Mona Lisa in two” and that the marbles should be returned to Athens. The British media reported that Mitsotakis’s statements disturbed Sunak.
Mitsotakis, who had a meeting with opposition Labor Party leader Keir Starmer yesterday, is expected to return to his country today.
ELGIN MARBLES
The Elgin Marbles, part of the Athenian Acropolis, are now in the British Museum in London. The Greek government wants the 2,500-year-old marbles, which were removed from the Parthenon Temple by the British diplomat Lord Elgin when he was an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century, and purchased by the British government and placed in the British Museum in 1816, to be returned to the country.
Source: UAV
