Boris Johnson and the Greek PM are expected to revive the Elgin Marbles row in negotiations tomorrow.
Kyriakos Mitchellsotakis pledged to improve the fate of famous statues currently housed at the British Museum when he meets with Mr Johnson on Downing Street.
The UK is insisting that Mr Mitsotakis’ response was legal after the marbles were removed from Athens’ Parthenon.
Kyriakos (left), who is meeting Boris Johnson in Downing Street, has promised to help raise funds for the preservation of famous statues currently housed at the British Museum.
Lord Elgin was the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the 19th Century. He took 17 marbles and a part of the frieze which decorated the monument at Acropolis, which dates back 2,500 years.
The spokesperson from the Greek government said that Mr Mitsotakis will raise the matter tomorrow.
Lord Elgin was the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the 19th Century. He took 17 marbles and a part of the frieze which decorated the monument at Acropolis, which dates back 2,500 years.
Britain claims that Elgin purchased the sculptures from Greece legally during the Ottoman rule.
According to Mr Oikonomou, the Greek spokesperson said that the obligation to return Parthenon sculptures to their rightful owners is up to the United Kingdom.
He added that the Greek request for government-to-government talks on the issue was backed by the United Nations’ cultural agency, Unesco.
Greece claims that the Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009, will be used for the display of the sculptures should they be returned.
Mr Johnson earlier this year ruled out returning the marbles to Greece, telling Greek newspaper Ta Nea: ‘I understand the strong feelings of the Greek people – and indeed Prime Minister Mitsotakis – on the issue.
“But, the UK Government holds a long-standing position regarding the sculptures. It is that Lord Elgin acquired them under appropriate laws and they have been legally owned since then by the British Museum’s Trustees.”
The Elgin Marbles include inscriptions, sculptures, and architectural pieces made of classic Greek marble. They were mostly designed by Phidias and other assistants.
Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl Elgin was responsible for removing the Parthenon marble pieces from Athens’ Acropolis. He also served as British ambassador to Ottoman Empire, 1799-1803.
The Earl claimed that he had obtained permission from the Ottoman authorities in 1801 to take pieces out of the Parthenon.
Elgin needed permission to visit the Acropolis, which was a Ottoman military fort.
Following his death, his agents removed about half the remaining sculptures. They also took architectural parts and sculptures from the Propylaea & Erechtheum.
The excavation and removal was completed in 1812 at a personal cost of around £70,000.
These sculptures were sent to Britain by the Scots aristocrat, who was then accused in Greece of vandalism and looting.
The British Government bought them in 1816. They were then placed in the British Museum. The original Duveen Gallery still houses them.
Through the years, Greece tried to get their return from Britain’s Museum but was unsuccessful.
There has been much debate about the authenticity of Elgin’s permission to remove sculptures from Parthenon. This is especially because the original document was lost. Many people claim that it wasn’t legal.
Others argue, however, that the Ottomans, who had been in control of Athens from 1460 onwards, were legally entitled to the artifacts.