Greece won't swear not to remove Parthenon sculptures when visiting the UK

 Greece won't swear not to remove Parthenon sculptures when visiting the UK

Following his breach of his pledge not to discuss the Parthenon monuments in public, Rishi Sunak called off his meeting with the Greek prime minister, according to Downing Street.

On Sunday, Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the BBC that he wished to return the artifacts, often referred to as the Elgin Marbles, from the British Museum to Greece.

On Monday, the meeting was abruptly called off.

An official from the Greek administration refuted the guarantees provided to Britain.

Long after Mr. Mitsotakis' Sunday BBC interview with Laura Kuenssberg, he claimed that by late Monday afternoon, talks in advance of Tuesday's meeting with the prime minister of the United Kingdom were proceeding without incident.

Greece's prime minister remarked in the interview that it would be like chopping the Mona Lisa in half to have part of the masterpieces in Athens and others in London.

However, when the meeting was asked for, "the Greek government guaranteed that it would use the meeting as a public forum to re-set long-settled matters pertaining to the ownership of the Parthenon statues," the prime minister's official spokesperson said on Tuesday."Will not use travel," claiming that the promises made before were "not followed through."

Mr. Sunak had determined that calling the meeting would “not be productive,” the spokesperson informed reporters.

The conflict has been called "petty" and "small-minded" by Labor.

The sculptures are a collection of prehistoric Greek artifacts that British ambassador Lord Elgin brought to Britain at the beginning of the 1800s from the Parthenon in Athens.

With the exception of a brief stay under the Aldwych tube station during World War II to avoid damage, they have been at the British Museum since 1832. under 2014, one marble was given to a Russian museum.

Greece and the UK have long-standing disagreements about the sculptures, but other subjects were anticipated to come up in diplomatic discussions.

Statues provide information about history and politics simultaneously.

How did the Marbles from Elgin get here?

What will happen to the statues at the Parthenon?

Russia was loaned the Elgin Marbles Statue.

How do Elgin Marbles work?

Following Mr. Mitsotakis' rejection of a second invitation to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday that it was "regrettable" that there are would not be a meeting between the two nations.

When asked whether the Greek leader's treatment by the government was inhumane, Mr. Harper said that while the Greeks were not given a high-level meeting, they were still free to voice their opinions.

On BBC Radio 4's World at One program, Greek Minister Adonis Georgiadis claimed that Mr. Sunak's decision was a "mistake" and that the issue was a "bad day" for British-Greek ties.

The Minister for Labor and Social Insurance emphasized his "great regard" for the British people and the bond between the two nations, saying, "What [the Greek PM] expressed in his interview is not simply his personal perspective, it is a single thing. The viewpoint is shared by 11 million Greeks.

The dispute "doesn't make Rishi Sunak any better than Lord Elgin," according to Professor Irene Stamatoudi, a former member of the Greek cultural minister's advisory group. She accused the envoy of stealing artifacts "to decorate his country house in Scotland." was charged.

He said that it was "not possible" for the Greek prime minister to avoid responding to inquiries about the Parthenon statues.

Mr. Sunak is eager to maintain the marbles' status as a London landmark. "Our position is clear – the Elgin Marbles are part of the British Museum's permanent collection or belong here," a senior Conservative source said.

James Landell, the diplomatic reporter for the BBC, said that the move goes against the government's strategic goals. The official foreign policy review for this year stated that Britain's "ambition is to build even stronger relationships with our European partners" after Brexit.

Mr. Mitsotakis expressed his disappointment to reporters on Monday night, saying he was "very disappointed by the sudden cancellation" of the negotiations.

She demanded the return of the sculptures in her interview with Laura Kuenssberg the day before, claiming that they were "essentially stolen." In order for visitors to "appreciate" the masterpieces "in their original setting," he advocated for a collaboration with the British Museum.

Following more planned talks, Mr. Mitsotakis will return to Greece. On Monday, he met with Sir Keir Starmer, the head of Labor.

A spokeswoman for the Greek government, Pavlos Marinakis, said to SKAI TV on Tuesday morning that "Britain's attitude shows no respect for our country as well as the prime minister."

He clarified that the Greek government did not want to "escalate this issue with a country with which we have good relations," even if it was not "common" to call off a meeting.

The role of museums and their holdings in a post-colonial world is a topic of much discussion, and Mr. Sunak has firmly taken a stance on one side of it.

The prime minister's decision to call off the meeting was deemed "strange" by Lord Vaizey, the head of the advisory council for the Parthenon project, which aims to restore the Elgin Marbles to Greece.

"This is somewhat tied up in the traditional culture wars, where everyone who dares say that British history may have been correct is somehow a traitor," said the former minister of culture.

"The problem with that is which, as far as I've been able to comprehend, every opinion poll that surveys the British public says they think the statues should be returned."

The Labor Party's opposition cultural secretary, Thangam Debonair, referred to Mr. Sunak as "reckless" and stated that calling off the meeting was "petty" and "small-minded".

"Deciding to create division where none was needed is not only reckless but actually harmful to our international reputation," he said.

Additionally, Labor is pulling back from claims made in a Greek newspaper that it is amenable to a "legal formula" for the statues' return to Greece.

Rather, the party states that the Labor administration will not obstruct a financial deal between the Greek government and the British Museum.

A representative for the UK government said that there were "no plans" to amend the British Museum Act of 1963, which forbids removing items from the collection of the organization.

However, the loan is possible regardless of the prime minister's stance and does not need a change in legislation.

The BBC has been informed by UNESCO, a UN organization created to advance international peace and security through collaboration on arts and culture, that it is "ready" to mediate a settlement between the UK and Greece "if they express a desire for such support". ,

What are the Elgin Marbles, often referred to as the Parthenon Statues?

Decorated with frieze and pediment figures, the Parthenon temple in Athens dates back to 447–432 BC.

Nearly half (around 75 meters) of the sculptural frieze that once encircled the structure was removed and transported to Britain, along with 17 life-size marble statues.

The majority of the sculptures that remain are split almost evenly between Athens and London.

2009 saw the opening of Athens' brand-new Acropolis Museum. All of the remaining sculptures are intended to be shown in their original configuration.

The late actress and former Greek Culture Minister Melina Mercouri was one among the celebrities who had previously supported their comeback.

Art enthusiast Lord Elgin said that the statues were superior than Britain's then-shabby Parthenon.

He destroyed part of the remnants of a classical temple constructed by the ancient Greeks in 1801, claiming to have authorization from the Ottoman Empire, which at the time ruled Athens, to do so.

Only a few pieces of the Parthenon made it to, or were lost entirely in, around ten different European nations.