Zürcher Nachrichten - Parthenon Marbles loom large as Greek PM holds talks in London

EUR -
AED 3.821057
AFN 73.006821
ALL 98.512217
AMD 415.678797
ANG 1.873062
AOA 948.764769
ARS 1069.072052
AUD 1.649931
AWG 1.872562
AZN 1.770572
BAM 1.955447
BBD 2.098421
BDT 124.19758
BGN 1.956839
BHD 0.392129
BIF 3072.506989
BMD 1.040312
BND 1.411906
BOB 7.181704
BRL 6.505282
BSD 1.039312
BTN 88.499776
BWP 14.434394
BYN 3.401186
BYR 20390.119174
BZD 2.091322
CAD 1.49394
CDF 2985.696084
CHF 0.935655
CLF 0.037305
CLP 1029.367761
CNY 7.592096
CNH 7.600745
COP 4550.231947
CRC 527.704739
CUC 1.040312
CUP 27.568273
CVE 110.282725
CZK 25.128844
DJF 185.07659
DKK 7.463155
DOP 63.308572
DZD 140.574623
EGP 52.912125
ERN 15.604683
ETB 132.329112
FJD 2.41212
FKP 0.823909
GBP 0.828868
GEL 2.923205
GGP 0.823909
GHS 15.283044
GIP 0.823909
GMD 74.902906
GNF 8982.3785
GTQ 8.008518
GYD 217.440748
HKD 8.07922
HNL 26.406233
HRK 7.462062
HTG 135.862824
HUF 411.523555
IDR 16866.581743
ILS 3.79457
IMP 0.823909
INR 88.831167
IQD 1361.45423
IRR 43784.131855
ISK 145.175469
JEP 0.823909
JMD 161.930768
JOD 0.737895
JPY 163.687937
KES 134.324804
KGS 90.506913
KHR 4176.242501
KMF 484.915563
KPW 936.280401
KRW 1516.624314
KWD 0.320604
KYD 0.866144
KZT 538.412806
LAK 22728.896977
LBP 93069.29912
LKR 306.304706
LRD 189.22587
LSL 19.325111
LTL 3.071771
LVL 0.629274
LYD 5.102079
MAD 10.480808
MDL 19.175538
MGA 4902.11507
MKD 61.518895
MMK 3378.893454
MNT 3534.98073
MOP 8.314299
MRU 41.48851
MUR 48.96761
MVR 16.02902
MWK 1802.174671
MXN 20.97774
MYR 4.667854
MZN 66.479829
NAD 19.325111
NGN 1603.786908
NIO 38.243096
NOK 11.804528
NPR 141.547448
NZD 1.842566
OMR 0.400258
PAB 1.039312
PEN 3.870101
PGK 4.218239
PHP 60.909762
PKR 289.341068
PLN 4.260908
PYG 8105.536788
QAR 3.781353
RON 4.977166
RSD 116.947785
RUB 103.957734
RWF 1449.838275
SAR 3.906518
SBD 8.721515
SCR 14.841021
SDG 625.744421
SEK 11.551938
SGD 1.413264
SHP 0.823909
SLE 23.721347
SLL 21814.829886
SOS 593.992772
SRD 36.471239
STD 21532.362215
SVC 9.094358
SYP 2613.815872
SZL 19.33351
THB 35.547799
TJS 11.374265
TMT 3.651496
TND 3.31516
TOP 2.436519
TRY 36.73036
TTD 7.062725
TWD 34.010202
TZS 2517.555813
UAH 43.577933
UGX 3804.313245
USD 1.040312
UYU 46.277438
UZS 13417.577857
VES 53.654247
VND 26444.736193
VUV 123.507948
WST 2.874162
XAF 655.838608
XAG 0.035157
XAU 0.000398
XCD 2.811496
XDR 0.796856
XOF 655.838608
XPF 119.331742
YER 260.468147
ZAR 19.379149
ZMK 9364.060487
ZMW 28.762808
ZWL 334.980105
  • NGG

    -0.1600

    58.86

    -0.27%

  • AZN

    -0.3300

    66.3

    -0.5%

  • BCE

    0.0600

    22.9

    +0.26%

  • GSK

    -0.0300

    34.03

    -0.09%

  • BCC

    0.9500

    123.19

    +0.77%

  • SCS

    0.0800

    11.73

    +0.68%

  • RBGPF

    59.8000

    59.8

    +100%

  • RIO

    -0.0300

    59.2

    -0.05%

  • BTI

    0.0400

    36.26

    +0.11%

  • CMSC

    -0.1321

    23.77

    -0.56%

  • BP

    0.0400

    28.79

    +0.14%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    7.24

    -0.14%

  • RELX

    0.3000

    45.89

    +0.65%

  • VOD

    0.0600

    8.43

    +0.71%

  • JRI

    0.0500

    12.15

    +0.41%

  • CMSD

    0.1000

    23.65

    +0.42%

Parthenon Marbles loom large as Greek PM holds talks in London
Parthenon Marbles loom large as Greek PM holds talks in London / Photo: Daniel LEAL - AFP

Parthenon Marbles loom large as Greek PM holds talks in London

The British and Greek prime ministers held talks Tuesday focused on illegal migration and supporting Ukraine but with a long-running dispute over the Parthenon Marbles ancient art work looming over the meeting.

Text size:

Britain's Keir Starmer hosted his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis amid reports that the centuries-old saga over the priceless sculptures could be moving towards a resolution.

The Marbles overshadowed Mitsotakis' last official visit to Britain, when Starmer's predecessor Rishi Sunak cancelled a planned meeting at the last minute after the Greek leader's public comments on the contentious issue reportedly irked the UK side.

Starmer, who took charge in July, underlined "the importance of the UK-Greece relationship", his office said in a readout of the talks which made no mention of the sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles.

It noted the pair "agreed to double-down" on joint actions to tackle illegal migration. It reiterated "their unwavering support for Ukraine" and "the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza".

However, Starmer's spokesman told reporters Britain's position on the Marbles has not changed and that the issue remained a matter for the British Museum.

"We have no plans to change the law that would permit a permanent move" of the sculptures back to Greece, the spokesman said.

"Decisions relating to the care and management and (the) sculptures are a matter for the trustees for the British Museum, which is operationally independent of the government."

- 'Lost his marbles' -

Ahead of the meeting, Mitsotakis said he was "firmly convinced" the sculptures will return to Athens more than two centuries after their departure for Britain.

"Discussions with the British Museum are continuing," he told ANT1 TV on Saturday. His spokesman said the issue would "obviously" come up in London.

Starmer is more open to the masterpieces' return to Athens than Sunak, according to UK media.

Sky News reported Monday that Mitsotakis and his foreign minister had held at least two "private meetings" with British Museum officials, including museum chairman George Osborne, this year.

The Guardian newspaper said the talks were moving towards "an agreement in principle".

Sunak axing the meeting a year ago was seen as a diplomatic slap in the face to Mitsotakis, and the latest example of the dispute poisoning bilateral relations.

The Greek leader, an ardent campaigner for the Marbles' return, had told the BBC at the time that keeping part of the Parthenon friezes outside Greece was tantamount to "cut(ting) the Mona Lisa in half".

Starmer, then head of the opposition, later told the House of Commons that Sunak had "obviously lost his marbles" in cancelling the meeting.

But Mitsotakis has also stressed that the search for a solution does was a matter for the British Museum, not the government.

Athens has for decades demanded the return of the 75-metre (250 feet) long friezes, a campaign revived in the 1980s by Greek singer and actress Melina Mercouri when she was culture minister.

- 'Legally acquired' -

Greek authorities maintain that the sculptures were looted in 1802 by Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.

But London claims that the sculptures were "legally acquired" by Elgin, and then sold to the British Museum.

A 1963 British law prevents the museum from giving away treasures.

In the UK, where according to a YouGov poll in 2023 a majority of Britons back restitution, opponents fear a domino effect, amid claims from several countries.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens is a temple built in the fifth century BC in homage to the goddess Athena.

The new Acropolis Museum, inaugurated in 2009, has reserved a space for the Parthenon friezes on the first floor of the building, where the four sides of the temple have been faithfully recreated to scale.

The missing friezes have been replaced by casts.

The Acropolis is the most visited archaeological site in Greece. Its popularity has soared in recent years to the extent that authorities have had to introduce reservation slots to contain summer crowds.

Founded in 1753, the British Museum collection of eight million objects includesng the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon friezes.

W.O.Ludwig--NZN