According to CCTV News, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis stated on October 3rd local time...
Previously, Mitsotakis stated that as long as there is “political will,” an agreement regarding the return of the Parthenon sculptures could still be reached. However, Greece would not accept a “borrowing” arrangement similar to France’s loan of the Bayeaux Tapestry to the United Kingdom.
In an article written for The Guardian, Mitsotakis stated that Greece “cannot accept any arrangement that requires Greece to acknowledge the ownership of these sculptures by the British Museum, nor can it accept a solution that implies we are going to ‘take back’ parts of our commemorative buildings.”
A few weeks ago, the director of the British Museum, Nicholas Condy, told the Financial Times that the arrangement of lending the Béguinette Tapestry to the British Museum for a display of 10 months could provide a model for addressing the issue of the Parthenon sculptures.
Carinan said that there is no such ‘template’ that can be simply copied and applied, but this loan exhibition is an example of successful international cooperation.
Mitsotakis stated in his article that the situation with the sculptures of the Parthenon is completely different. Since half of the original sculpture is now located in Athens, there is no reason to suggest cutting the ‘Tapestry of the Bayeux’ into two pieces.
Mitsotakis also noted that British Prime Minister Andrew Burnham has previously supported the return of these sculptures.
He said that solving this problem requires ‘political will and courage’, but Greece will not accept any solution that is less than allowing these sculptures to be ‘reunited’ in Athens.
Mitsotakis stated that this arrangement can serve as the foundation for ‘a broad and lasting cultural partnership between our two countries, creating new opportunities for exhibitions, academic research, cultural heritage protection, and exchanges between Greek and British museums’.
He said that this is “a true achievement worth striving for”.
This statement comes at a time when there are speculations in the outside world regarding the negotiations between the British Museum and the Greek government over the return of these ancient artifacts.
The British newspaper The Daily Telegraph previously reported that the negotiations are on the verge of breaking down.
People close to the negotiations objected to this description, but they also admitted that there are still significant differences between the two sides that need to be resolved in this prolonged dialogue.
Bernham once stated that these sculptures should be returned to Greece; however, he recently suggested that this issue should be handled by the British Museum.
The sculptures of the Parthenon are also known as the "Elgin Marbles," named after the British nobleman Lord Elgin. More than 200 years ago, he removed these sculptures from Athens.
These ancient sculptures were carved by the master sculptor Phidias over 2500 years ago and were originally displayed on the magnificent carvings of the Parthenon.
Due to this series of actions, Elgin fell into bankruptcy, and in 1816, he sold these sculptures to the British government.
This issue became a cultural dispute between Britain and Greece that lasted for decades.
British law currently restricts the British Museum's obligation to return its collection of artifacts permanently. In Greece, however, these artifacts are considered to have been stolen.
