The Prime Minister of Greece will Parthenon Marble The key issue for the upcoming talks with Boris Johnson in London is that the debate over the reunification of the “stolen” sculptures is an intergovernmental affair and does not fall within the purview of the British Museum.
Determined to raise this question when he first visited Downing Street, Kyriacos Mizotakis According to the “Guardian”, the roof of the Du Wen Gallery of the London Museum is leaking, where artifacts from the 5th century BC are displayed.
“This is very important to him,” said a well-informed person who declined to say whether these treasures (also known as Elgin Marbles) were the first or last item on the agenda on Tuesday. “Our argument is very powerful. Now is the time for a sincere dialogue.”
Ongoing maintenance work British Museum With the outbreak of the coronavirus, these works have not been publicly available for nearly a year.
this Acropolis Museum, Which was built specifically to place classical carvings at the foot of the monument, and reopened in May.
In 1802, under the order of Lord Elgin, the then British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, this huge fascia of about 80 meters was exhibited in London; 50 meters in Athens. 115 other pieces of artwork are in museums around Europe.
Few Greek leaders prioritized the repatriation of these sculptures like Mizotakis, who described Britain’s refusal to participate in negotiations as a “failed battle”.
Within weeks of the victory of his center-right government, the politician told the Observer that he was ready exchange Priceless handicrafts that have never left Greece before in exchange for marble brought back in time for the 200th anniversary of the country’s independence this year. In a speech to UNESCO later on Friday, he said that now is the “best time” to return the antiquities, which have long been regarded as the most important symbolism between modern Greeks and their ancestors. connect.
“The UK should turn to Greece. I urge them to do so.After all, this year is the 200thMemorial Day of the Greek War of Independence. There is no better time than now to reassemble the missing parts of the Parthenon sculptures-in their birthplace-Greece. “
The United Nations agency announced in September that the country’s request for the return of marble for decades is of an “intergovernmental nature”, rather than being determined by the British Museum as claimed by previous British governments.
Activists have long complained that London moved the goal post and hid behind the trustee of the museum. Tuesday’s meeting was the first official face-to-face meeting between the two leaders and the first official meeting since Brexit. Withdraw from the European Union.
Mizotakis is a Harvard-trained banker with the same privileges as Johnson. He has stated that when raising the marble problem, he will quote “Boris’s Global Britain”. Investigations have repeatedly shown that the vast majority of British people support the return of these sculptures.
Athens was encouraged by the change in attitudes towards the restitution of cultural property. In 2019, France responded with unexpected enthusiasm to Greece’s request to return part of the fascia from the Louvre.
But the Greek delegation is likely to also appeal to the sensitivity of the British prime minister as a classicist.one Admirer of PericlesJohnson is famous for decorating his office with a bust of a military politician. His architectural plans, especially the construction of the temple of the Acropolis, are most relevant to the golden age of Athens.
Earlier this year, the British Prime Minister acknowledged his strong feelings about this issue, but said that the repatriation has not yet arrived.
In an interview with the Greek daily newspaper Ta Nea, he said: “The British government has a firm and long-term position on these sculptures, that they were legally acquired by Lord Elgin in accordance with the appropriate laws at the time and legally owned by the British. Self-acquisition Trustee of the museum since.”
Britain-Greece relations have been described as excellent, and British diplomats praised the strategic framework agreement recently signed by the two countries as one of the first agreements reached with EU member states after Brexit.
But because of this, Greek officials said that Mizotakis is confident that it is time to roll up his sleeves and let Johnson stand still and inject new impetus into the longest-lasting cultural dispute in the West.
