Dispute over Parthenon sculptures creates diplomatic tension between UK and Greece

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he was “angry” at the last-minute cancellation of a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over comments he made in a TV interview about the status of the Greek sculptures. Parthenon.

Mitsotakis, who arrived in the UK at the weekend, was due to meet Sunak on Tuesday (28) before the meeting was abruptly cancelled.

The Greek Prime Minister said in a statement shared by his office on Monday that he was “irritated that the British Prime Minister canceled our scheduled meeting just hours before it was to take place,” adding that “Greece and the Kingdom United are united by traditional ties of friendship” and that his country’s position on the Parthenon Sculptures – currently housed by the British Museum in London – is “well known.”

“Whoever believes in the correctness and justice of their opinions is never afraid of opposing arguments,” he added.

Greece has repeatedly called for the return of the sculptures, which British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in Athens in the early 19th century when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.

On Sunday, Mitsotakis told the BBC in an interview that the sculptures were “essentially stolen,” and that his government would continue to lobby for a deal and push for a “partnership” with the United Kingdom.

“This is not a question of returning artifacts whose ownership we question. We feel that these sculptures belong to Greece and were essentially stolen,” Mitsotakis said.

“This is a reunification argument, where you can better appreciate what is essentially a monument. It’s like me saying you would cut the Mona Lisa in half, and have half in the Louvre and half in the British Museum,” he added.

Sunak’s spokesman told reporters on Tuesday that the Greek government “gave assurances” that they would not use the visit to publicly increase ownership of the Parthenon sculptures, and as these assurances were broken the meeting was cancelled.

A Greek government official denied this Tuesday (28) that he had promised not to publicly raise the issue.

Mitsotakis’ office said it looked forward to discussing a range of topics with the head of the British government, including the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war and the climate crisis.

Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said on Tuesday (28) that the move to end the meeting “did not show respect”, while leaders of the Greek opposition parties Syriza and PASOK called the decision “rude”. and “unacceptable,” describing the issue of the sculptures as a “matter of national interest.”

Sunak’s office said British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden was available to meet with Mitsotakis, calling the relationship between the two countries “extremely important.” Mitsotakis — who is returning to Greece — chose not to meet Dowden, a Greek official told CNN.