Mitsotakis raises issue of Parthenon Marbles’ return, Boris Johnson says matter affects British Museum alone

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as widely reported throughout the week, brought up Greece’s long-standing demand for a repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles during his meeting in London on Tuesday with UK Premier Boris Johnson.

The demand that the friezes, prominently held and displayed by the British Museum in London, be returned to Athens’ state-of-the-art Acropolis Museum, has periodically been raised, often in a forceful manner, by successive Greek governments, dating back to the 1980s and even before the new museum opened.

A statement issued afterwards by Johnson’ 10 Downing Street office merely noted that the British leader said he comprehended the strong feelings held by the Greek people, but that the issue exclusively affects the British Museum. The statement also noted that excellent bilateral relations are not affected.

Beyond the Parthenon Marbles, still called the “Elgin Marbles” by the British Museum, after the early 19th century diplomat that had them sliced off the Parthenon and haphazardly shipped to England, Mitsotakis expressed satisfaction over a continued EU-UK dialogue regarding a protocol for Northern Ireland.

The Greek prime minister also again cited what he called official Turkey’s destabilizing role in the eastern Mediterranean, something he said leaves little margin for optimism that a dialogue will resume, something he said Greece is already ready to begin under the condition that international law and the UN Convention for the Law of the Sea are respected.

In front of rolling cameras, Johnson first Mitsotakis for his leadership at Cop26 as he welcomed him to Downing Street in the afternoon.
The latter then offered his congratulations to Johnson for the Glasgow summit, with the latter replying “we made a lot of progress”.

The Greek PM also said there was “a lot to talk about” surrounding the “very strong bilateral relationship” between Greece and Great Britain.

“Great to welcome my friend Kyriakos Mitsotakis to London. We have been … working on this for a long time and the relationship between Greece and the UK is of the utmost importance to me, to us.

“It is of course the bicentenary of our support for Greek independence – Greece’s historic movement towards independence in 1821,” Johnson said in welcoming the Greek leader, who interjected: “Against the odds.”

To that, Johnson added: “Against the odds. With the support of Lord Byron and others. But fantastic to see you.”

In again citing the Glasgow summit, Johnson expressed thanks to Mitsotakis for his “leadership during Cop26 in Glasgow,” with the Greek PM concluded that his counterpart delivered a “very complicated project”.