In the Parthenon Sculptures mentioned among others the president of SYRIZA PS, Stefanos Kasselakis, during his speech at the party’s General Assembly today, Thursday proposing to Mr. Mitsotakis, Androulakis, Koutsoumba and Zoe Konstantopoulou to send a joint letter to the Foreign Affairs and Culture Committees of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

The letter, a draft of which he has already sent to political leaders, will include national positions on the Parthenon Sculptures.

In his post on Platform X, Stefanos Kasselakis stated that “Transparency and consensus are needed on national issues that even have an international dimension, as they concern global cultural heritage”, Mr. Kasselakis also said and continued:

“For this reason, yesterday I took the initiative to propose to the political leaders of ND, PASOK/KINAL, KKE and Plefsis Eleftherias, that we jointly send a letter with our national position on the Parthenon Sculptures to the Foreign Affairs Committees and Culture of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom”.

The Kasselakis letter in detail:

To Members of the Committees of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom

of Foreign Affairs
Culture, media and sports
Dear gentlemen,

Dear Members of the House of Commons,

The Parthenon Sculptures are not just a sample of incalculable value of the ancient Greek cultural heritage. Their illegal removal and theft from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, when Greece was under Ottoman occupation, endangered the cultural and architectural integrity of one of the most important landmarks of world culture and Greek heritage.

It is precisely for this reason that their return to where they belong is particularly important to all Greeks; and this is why our appeal is finding more and more supporters abroad, including important voices in the UK.

As has been clearly stated in all international forums and especially in UNESCO by the Greek governments for decades, we cannot recognize in any state or legal entity, such as the British Museum, any ownership rights to the stolen Parthenon Sculptures.

We must also express our disappointment and annoyance at the decision of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Hon. Rishi Sunak, to cancel the scheduled meeting with the Greek Prime Minister. This move is unacceptable and undermines the otherwise excellent Greek-British relations. The Prime Minister of Greece, regardless of who holds the office, has every right to actively and publicly support the return of the Parthenon Sculptures and discuss the matter with his British counterpart.

The demand for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece is not only national. It is an issue championed by people around the world who believe in protecting the integrity of the world’s cultural heritage.

We therefore invite you, invoking our warm bilateral relations, to reconsider your country’s position and support the proposal for the establishment of a Greece-United Kingdom bilateral committee, which will examine the issue at a high government level with the participation of UNESCO and other relevant international organizations.

In good faith and with feelings of friendship towards British citizens, we remain at your disposal for any clarification and further development of our bilateral cooperation on an issue that touches the heart of every Greek and beyond.