London:
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused his British counterpart Rishi Sunak of canceling a scheduled meeting in London on Tuesday in a diplomatic dispute over the status of the Parthenon statues.
Greece has repeatedly asked the British Museum to permanently return the 2,500-year-old statues, which were removed from the Parthenon temple in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
“I am outraged that the British Prime Minister canceled our planned meeting just hours before it was to take place,” Mitsotakis said in a statement.
He said, “Greece’s position on the issue of the Parthenon statues is well known. I was hoping to have the opportunity to discuss them with my British counterpart. Anyone who believes in the correctness and justice of their positions will never give in to arguments. Not afraid to confront.” ,
The Greek government is discussing with British Museum chairman George Osborne a possible loan deal for the statues, which have been a source of contention between the two countries for centuries.
Mitsotakis complained in an interview with the BBC on Sunday that talks on the possible return of the statues to Athens were not moving quickly enough.
He said that the statues’ continued presence in the British Museum was like “cutting the Mona Lisa in half” and that it was not a question of ownership but of “reunification”.
A British government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the dispute over the marbles meant the meeting was not suitable to go ahead.
Earlier, a spokesman for Sunak had said there were no plans to return the statues.
Asked about Mitsotakis’s statement, Sunak’s office said the UK’s relationship with Greece was “extremely important” and that the two countries needed to work together on global challenges such as tackling illegal migration.
Sunak’s office said that Deputy British Prime Minister Oliver Dowden was available to meet with Mitsotakis to discuss these issues.
The British government has always refused to give up ownership of the marbles, which comprise about half of the 160-metre (525-ft) frieze that adorns the Parthenon, and says they were acquired legally.
A law prevents the British Museum from removing objects from the collection except in certain circumstances, but the law does not prohibit loans.
A meeting between Mitsotakis and British opposition leader Keir Starmer went ahead as planned on Monday. The Financial Times reported last week that Starmer would not block a “mutually acceptable” loan deal for the statues.
Labor declined to comment.
