Cold winds blow between England and Greece…
When a scheduled meeting in London between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak was canceled at the last minute, tensions between the two countries became tense.
Sunak’s last-minute cancellation of the meeting over the Parthenon Marbles on display at the world-famous British Museum in England heightened tensions.
While Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis criticized Sunak’s cancellation of the meeting, Mitsotakis said: “I would like to express my annoyance at the British Prime Minister canceling our scheduled meeting hours before the meeting. Greece’s position on the Parthenon statues is well known. I was hoping to have the opportunity to discuss these matters with my British counterpart. “No one who believes in the truth and justice of his positions will ever be afraid to face arguments,” he said.
“It’s like splitting the Mona Lisa in two.”
Greece has asked the British Museum several times before to permanently return the 2,500-year-old pieces that the British diplomat Lord Elgin took out of the temple when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Mitsotakis said in an interview with the BBC on Sunday that talks on this issue are not progressing quickly. Mitsotakis stated that keeping the statues in the British Museum would be like “dividing the Mona Lisa into two parts.”
A British government official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the discussion about the marbles meant it was inappropriate for the meeting to continue. Sunak’s spokesman previously said there were no plans to return the statues.
On the other hand, British officials offered Mitsotakis, who was unable to meet Sunak, a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden. However, it was learned that Mitsotakis was disillusioned with the process and declined the offer.
release date: 12:58, 28 November 2023
(Tags for translation)Europe