{"id":26858,"date":"2023-11-28T07:19:05","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T07:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belalcazar.org\/?p=26858"},"modified":"2023-11-28T07:19:05","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T07:19:05","slug":"elgin-marbles-row-escalates-as-greek-pm-accuses-sunak-of-running-scared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belalcazar.org\/politics\/elgin-marbles-row-escalates-as-greek-pm-accuses-sunak-of-running-scared\/","title":{"rendered":"Elgin Marbles row escalates as Greek PM accuses Sunak of running scared"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kyriakos Mitsotakis advocates for ‘reunification’ of Elgin Marbles<\/h3>\n

Greece\u2019s Prime Minister has accused UK counterpart Rishi Sunak of running scared after the cancellation of a meeting aimed at discussing the future of the Elgin Marbles in a significant escalation of the row.<\/p>\n

A spokesman said his country would continue to exert diplomatic pressure in a bid to regain the historic artefacts, taken from Athens by diplomat Lord Elgin in the 19th century.<\/p>\n

Kyriakos Mitsotakis had been hoping to meet the British Prime Minister during his trip to London – and a source on the Greek side said he and his team had been left “baffled, surprised and not a little bit annoyed” at an apparent sudden cancellation, particularly when preventing migrant sea crossings – one of Mr Sunak’s top five priorities – was high on the agenda.<\/p>\n

Downing Street suggested a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden had been offered instead – something Mr Mitsotakis is understood to have rejected.<\/p>\n

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Mitsotakis subsequently said: \u201cI express my annoyance that the British prime minister cancelled our planned meeting just hours before it was due to take place.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who believes in the rightness and justice of his positions is never afraid of confronting arguments.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A statement issued by Mr Mitsotakis\u2019s spokesman said: “The prime minister is disappointed that Prime Minister Sunak cancelled their bilateral meeting at the 11th hour today.<\/p>\n

“Greece and Britain have a very deep history of friendship and co-operation, and the Greek government is extremely surprised by this decision.<\/p>\n

“The Prime Minister was looking forward to discussing a range of topics of mutual interest including the Israel-Gaza conflict, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, climate change, as well as common challenges such as migration, and of course the Parthenon Sculptures.”<\/p>\n

The UK Government cancelled the meeting after Mr Mitsotakis had used an interview ahead of the anticipated talks to push for the return of the Marbles, saying the current situation was like the Mona Lisa painting being cut in half.<\/p>\n

Athens has long demanded the return of the historic works, also known as the Parthenon Sculptures, which were removed from Greece by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century when he was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.<\/p>\n

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Greek PM urges return of Elgin Marbles collection[VIDEO] <\/strong>
Fears Keir Starmer will appease Greek PM with Elgin Marbles surrender[ANALYSIS] <\/strong><\/p>\n

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