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The Greek Prime Minister has issued a new call for the return of Elgin Marbles Greece in an awkward confrontation with Boris Johnson at Downing Street.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis raised the issue of 2,500-year-old sculptures, also known as Parthenon marbles, at a meeting with the prime minister on Downing Street on Tuesday.
But Mr Johnson insisted he could do nothing, reiterating the UK’s long-held position that it was a matter for the custodians of British museums.
Greece says the sculptures, dating back to the 5th century BC, were stolen by Elgin, a diplomat, from the Acropolis of Athens more than 200 years ago.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis (left) has vowed to raise the future of the famous statues currently in the British Museum when he meets Boris Johnson (right) on Downing Street
The marble, 17 figures and part of the frieze that adorned the 2,500-year-old monument on the Acropolis was taken in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
Greece says the sculptures, dating back to the 5th century BC, were stolen by Elgin, a diplomat, from the Acropolis of Athens more than 200 years ago.
Politicians, including Jeremy Corbyn, have supported the return of the marbles, but the government insists they were purchased legally and have been carefully preserved in the UK.
The dispute escalated last year when the EU proposed that the return of Marbles could become part of a Brexit trade agreement.
When he raised the issue on Downing Street on Tuesday, Mr Mitsotakis demanded the return of the Parthenon sculptures.
Mr Johnson said he understood the power of the Greek people on the issue, but reiterated the UK’s position on the sculptures – that Lord Elgin had legally acquired them under the relevant laws of the time and that they were legally owned by British trustees. museum since their acquisition.
Leaders agreed that this issue in no way affects the strength of the UK-Greece partnership.
Mr Mitsotakis joined Good Morning Britain on Tuesday morning and demanded the return of Elgin’s marbles before meeting with the prime minister.
He told ITV’s GMB: “They are here because they were stolen by Lord Elgin …
“But at the end of the day, that’s not a legal argument and I’m reluctant to talk about returning marbles.
“I like to talk about reuniting marbles; I encourage you to have one of your performances in this part of the museum.
‘Half of them you’ll see, which you show in a lovely modern museum just below the Acropolis.
“We are in favor of reuniting marbles, I will present my case to the British Prime Minister.”
Mr Mitsotakis joined Good Morning Britain on Tuesday morning and demanded the return of Elgin Marbles before meeting with the Prime Minister.
Mr Mitsotakis (left) and Mr Johnson (right) were on Downing Street on Tuesday during their meeting in the picture
The marble, 17 figures and part of the frieze that adorned the 2,500-year-old monument on the Acropolis was taken in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
The UK claims that Elgin acquired the sculptures legally when Greece was ruled by the Ottomans.
A Greek spokesman said: “The obligation to return the Parthenon sculptures depends entirely on the UK government,” Mr Oikonomou said.
He added that the Greek request for talks between the government on the issue was supported by the United Nations Cultural Agency (UNESCO).
Greece has announced that the new Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009, will be used to exhibit the sculptures if returned.
Mr Johnson ruled out the return of marbles to Greece earlier this year and told the Greek newspaper Ta Nea: “I understand the strong feelings of the Greek people – and in fact Prime Minister Mitsotakis – on this issue.
“However, the United Kingdom Government has a firm long-standing view of the sculptures, which is that Lord Elgin legally acquired them under the relevant laws of the time and have been legally owned by the custodians of the British Museum since the acquisition.”
Elgin Marbles is a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures, inscriptions, and architectural elements mostly created by Phidias and his assistants.
The seventh Earl of Elgin, Thomas Bruce, removed pieces of Parthenon marble from the Acropolis of Athens, while between 1799 and 1803 he was British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
In 1801, the Count claimed to have obtained permission from the Ottoman authorities to remove the pieces from the Parthenon.
Since the Acropolis was still an Ottoman military stronghold, Elgin sought permission to enter the area.
His agents then removed half of the surviving sculptures, as well as architectural members and sculptures from Propylaea and Erechtheus.
Excavation and removal was completed in 1812 at a personal cost of about £ 70,000.
The sculptures were sent to Britain, and in Greece, the Scottish aristocrat was accused of robbery and vandalism.
In 1816 they were purchased by the British government and placed in the British Museum. They are still on display in the purpose-built Duveen Gallery.
Greece has sought over the years to bring them back from the British Museum, but to no avail.
The credibility of Elgin’s permission to remove the sculptures from the Parthenon was highly controversial, especially since the original document was lost. Many argue that it was not legal.
However, others claim that the Turks have controlled Athens since 1460, so their claims to the artifacts were legitimate and recognizable.
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