London, Thanasis Gavos

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is visiting London on Monday and Tuesday, and on Tuesday morning he will be received in Downing Street by his British counterpart, Sir Keir Starmer.

The Greek Prime Minister’s official visit to London begins on Monday morning, when he will open the curtain of the 3rd Greek Investment Conference organized by Morgan Stanley in collaboration with the Athens Stock Exchange. The prime minister is expected to send the message that fiscal stability is non-negotiable, while he will note the political stability that exists in the country, at a time when political risk “hits” France and Germany.

The agenda for the meeting with Starmer

Tuesday’s meeting is seen by both sides as an opportunity to upgrade bilateral relations at a time of challenges for Europe and the new UK government’s attempt to restore ties with the EU and member states.

During the meeting it is expected to be given emphasis on cooperation in the fields of shipping, research and innovation and tourism, while special reference will be made to immigrationwith Britain having shown interest in how the Greek authorities have achieved better border guarding and protection.

As during the recent meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries in London, Messrs. Mitsotakis and Starmer will also refer to the importance of coordination in view of Greece’s term in the Security Council as a non-permanent member in the two years 2025-2026.

On the table will also fall the question of the two wars which directly affect Europe, Ukraine and the Middle East and more broadly Euro-British relations.

Regarding the issue of the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures, the Greek side makes it clear that it is not one of the main issues at this particular meeting. “This is an ongoing request that is being discussed with the British Museum”, said a Greek source, while the Prime Minister himself commented from Thessaloniki that the discussion with the London institution about the Sculptures “remains active”.

Read more: Victoria Hislop on Sculptures: Archaeocapillianism – There is no better word to describe what Elgin has done

British government statement to SKAI about the Sculptures

A publication by the Telegraph newspaper in London, meanwhile, brings back to the discussion about Sculptures the scenario of legislative activation of certain provisions of the Law on Charitable Institutions passed in 2022. These “frozen” provisions, which were not included in the final law, stipulate that the commissioners administration of institutions such as museums could allow the permanent removal of exhibits if they judge that there is a “moral obligation”.

In this way, the newspaper estimates, the 1963 law prohibiting the British Museum from returning the Parthenon Sculptures to Athens could be circumvented. The report says Labor is considering “all options”.

However, the prevailing information states that the discussion with the British Museum revolves around a solution that will bypass the thorny issue of ownership of the Sculptures.

A representative of the British government, speaking to SKAI, referred any decisions regarding the Parthenon Sculptures to the British Museum’s management commissioners, in the timeless position of London.

When asked by SKAI whether recent statements by Culture Minister Lisa Nandy about the government’s “review” of requests to repatriate exhibits from British museums constitute a change of attitude or an indication of the ministry’s intention to participate in the negotiations with Athens, the representative said: “We have no plans to change the existing government policy on the issue of rehabilitation”.

He added that “further decisions related to the care and management of a museum’s collections, including the loan of objects, are a matter for the museum’s commissioners.”

A source from the British Ministry of Culture recalled that the British Museum is prohibited by law (1963) from permanently removing objects from its collectionswith specific exceptions (for human remains less than 1,000 years old and for Nazi-era loot).

He mentioned that the topic of the Sculptures was briefly mentioned at the meeting held in London on November 4 between the Greek Minister of Tourism and the British Undersecretary for Culture Sir Chris Bryant when Ms. Kefalogianni brought it up in the context of a general discussion about tourism.

Mitsotakis speech at the Morgan Stanley conference

The Greek Prime Minister’s official visit to London begins on Monday morning, when he will open the curtain of the 3rd Greek Investment Conference organized by Morgan Stanley in collaboration with the Athens Stock Exchange.

There he will have a public discussion with Morgan Stanley’s Head of Investment Banking Europe, Massimiliano Ruggieri, and closed meetings with institutional investors.

The prime minister is expected to send the message that fiscal stability is non-negotiable, while he will note the political stability that exists in the country, at a time when political risk “hits” France and Germany.

At the investment conference, the Greek banks, the Stock Exchange and the largest listed companies will have the opportunity to make contact with 100 strong funds that manage approximately 30 trillion. dollars.

The Prime Minister’s schedule on Monday also includes participation in a special closed workshop organized by the Blair Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI). Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s institute has dealt with the issue thoroughly, and has recently published a Guide to the Use of Artificial Intelligence by Governments. The workshop is organized for the needs of the Greek government and during its duration specific proposals are expected to be submitted for issues of highest priority for Greece with the help of AI, such as Health, Climate Crisis, Civil Protection, Employment.

The Prime Minister will have the opportunity to present the national plan for Greece’s transition to Artificial Intelligence, delivered to him a few days ago by the Advisory Committee on Artificial Intelligence.