The British Museum in London showed itself open on Tuesday to a ‘long-term partnership’ with Athens on the friezes of the Parthenon, the return of which the Greek government is demanding, suggesting a solution to a historic dispute.
The announcement of the London museum, where these ancient remains have been exhibited for more than two centuries, came on the day of a visit by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to London, where he met his British counterpart Keir Starmer.
“Discussions with Greece for a ‘Parthenon Partnership’ are ongoing and constructive,” a museum spokesperson said in a statement.
A loan is the solution that appears to be preferred. Each year, some 1,400 objects are subject to long-term loans from the museum to partner institutions.
‘Sharing’
‘We believe this type of long-term partnership would strike the right balance between sharing our most beautiful objects with audiences around the world and maintaining the integrity of the incredible collection we house at the museum.’ added the British Museum.
A Greek government source indicated, after the meeting between the two Prime Ministers, that London would not ‘stand in the way’ of a return of the Parthenon friezes to Greece if an agreement was reached between Athens and the British Museum.
Before his visit to the United Kingdom, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, an ardent supporter of a return of these archaeological treasures some 2,500 years old, said he was ‘firmly convinced’ that the Parthenon marbles would return to Athens.
According to him, the question is not ‘if’ they will return to their hometown but ‘when’.
However, he has repeated in recent days, the possible resolution of this thorny issue, which has poisoned long-standing bilateral relations, concerns the Greek government and the British museum.
The two Prime Ministers did not indicate whether they had discussed this long dispute on Tuesday.
Downing Street had affirmed ahead of the interview that the Parthenon friezes were ‘not on Keir Starmer’s agenda’. And the British Prime Minister’s office indicated that the discussions had focused on immigration, support for Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza.
The British government has indicated that it has no intention of ‘changing the law to allow’ a return of the friezes to Athens: a 1963 British law prevents the museum from making restitutions.
But when asked about a possible loan of the Parthenon marbles, a Downing Street spokesperson indicated that ‘these decisions are entirely up to the British Museum’.
Greece is determined to recover its heritage. A return to Athens of this ancient treasure exhibited in one of the greatest museums in the world since 1816 would constitute an indisputable political victory for the conservative leader.
Private meetings
With this in mind, Kyriakos Mitsotakis led with his head of diplomacy, George Gerapetritis, ‘private meetings’ with officials of the British Museum, including its director George Osborne, on ‘two or three occasions’ this year, according to British television SkyNews.
Keir Starmer’s Labor government seems more inclined to listen to the Greek request than its predecessor, the Conservative Rishi Sunak.
The latter had inflicted a diplomatic snub on Mr. Mitsotakis by canceling at the last minute a meeting planned a year ago, during which the Greek leader intended to address the issue.
‘Looting’ or ‘legally acquired’
The Greek authorities, who have been demanding the return of these precious friezes detached from the Parthenon for decades, maintain that they were the object of ‘looting’ orchestrated in 1802 by Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
But London claims the sculptures were ‘legally acquired’ by Lord Elgin, who sold them to the British Museum.
In the United Kingdom, where according to a 2023 YouGov poll, a majority of Britons are in favor of restitution, opponents fear a domino effect which would see the demands of several countries accumulate.
At the top of the Acropolis, the Parthenon is a temple built in the 5th century BC in homage to the goddess Athena.
The new Acropolis Museum, inaugurated in 2009, has reserved a space to house the friezes of the Parthenon on the floor where the four sides of the temple are recreated. The friezes exhibited in London have been replaced by casts.
/ATS
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