British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled a scheduled meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis, sparking a diplomatic row over the status of the 2,500-year-old Parthenon sculptures housed in the British Museum.
Greece has repeatedly requested their permanent return to Athens, while the UK and the museum have refused to do so.
Here’s what we know about the ongoing conflict that has sparked a social media storm in Greece:
What was the dispute between the UK and Greece about at that time?
- According to reports, the decision to cancel the British prime minister’s meeting came after Mitsotakis told British broadcaster BBC that the Parthenon sculptures had been stolen and needed to be returned.
- “If I told you that you would cut the Mona Lisa in two and have half in the Louvre and the other half in the British Museum, do you think your viewers would appreciate the beauty of the painting?” Mitsotakis said in the interview.
- The Greek government was informed of the meeting’s cancellation around 1800 GMT, as Mitsotakis’ meeting with Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labor Party, was ending, according to a Bloomberg report.
- In a statement, Mitsotakis said he was dismayed by the meeting’s cancellation. “Greece’s positions on the issue of the Parthenon sculptures are well known,” he said in a statement. release.
- “I hoped to have the opportunity to also discuss it with my British counterpart, as well as the major challenges of the international situation: Gaza, Ukraine, climate crisis, migration,” the press release added.
- On Wednesday, Mitsotakis also said it wouldn’t necessarily affect the relationship in the long term. “It’s a relationship with historical depth.”
Which Parthenon sculptures are in dispute?
- The Parthenon sculptures consist of over 30 ancient stone sculptures from Greece dating back over 2,000 years. They are kept in the British Museum.
- These are original parts of the temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, in the iconic Parthenon, completed in 432 BC as the crowning achievement of Athens’ golden age.
- London has 17 pedimented figures and 15 panels.
- The panels show scenes from Greek mythology. One of them stretches 75 meters (247 feet) and shows a procession for the birthday of the goddess Athena.
- All have survived mostly intact despite war, earthquakes, foreign invasions and the temple’s transformation, first into a church and then into a mosque under Ottoman rulers. But in 1687, the Parthenon was destroyed by a besieging Venetian army and many works were lost.
- “Of the 50 percent of the original sculptures that survive, about half are in the British Museum and the other half in Athens,” according to information posted on the British Museum webpage.
- For decades, these marbles were known as the Elgin Marbles, named after the Scottish nobleman who took them over 200 years ago. Today, even the British Museum uses the favored Greek form: the Parthenon sculptures.
Why are the Parthenon sculptures important?
- Ancient Greek sculpture has been admired for millennia and is a key artistic reference point. For many, the Parthenon sculptures are the most striking example.
- They form a cohesive group designed and executed by the best artists – the Leonardo da Vinci of the time – for a single building project intended to celebrate the height of Athenian glory.
How did they end up in the British Museum?
- More than a century after the destructive explosion, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire – of which Athens was still part – Lord Elgin obtained a permit to remove some of the sculptures.
- They were shipped to the United Kingdom and eventually joined the British Museum’s collection in 1816, five years before the uprising that created an independent Greece.
What is Greece’s position?
- Athens has been demanding permanent restitution of the treasures since its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832. It has accused Elgin of theft.
- But the campaign became a major issue in 1983 when Oscar-nominated Greek actress Melina Mercouri launched an official campaign for their return while she was culture minister between 1981 and 1989.
- Britain was angered by the campaign, but “staff were concerned that Mercouri would win the debate,” declassified documents about the argument indicate.
- Mercouri argued that the marbles “are an integral part of a monument that represents the national spirit of Greece.” British Foreign Office officials concluded that Mercouri “won hands down.”
- In her first statement to the British authorities, she wrote: “You must understand what the Parthenon Marbles mean to us. They are our pride. These are our sacrifices. They are the essence of Greekness.
- In September 2019, Mitsotakis suggested that Athens would be willing to loan antiquities to the British Museum in exchange for the opportunity to temporarily display them. Greece said the proposal did not change its long-standing demand for their permanent return.
- In December 2022, Greece said it was in talks with the United Kingdom over repatriating the sculptures to Athens, but that a deal was not imminent.
What is the UK’s position?
