By Penelope Galliou

Three years after the prime minister pledged, in November 2021, on British soil during a meeting he had with then prime minister Boris Johnson, that Greece would stick to its claim for the Parthenon Sculptures, and a year after his indecent decision Rishi Sunak to cancel his meeting with the Greek Prime Minister because of the Greek position on the Sculptures, Kyriakos Mitsotakis returns today in Great Britain, and picks up the thread of the claim again, with the relevant request remaining active.

The climate on the specific issue and the standing request of our country was given by the Greek Prime Minister himself during his interview, to ANT1, speaking of an active and continuous discussion with the British Museum and at the same time expressing his optimism. “When they come back, not if they come back, when the Sculptures come back, it will be a vindication for Melina, who was the first to sensitize, not the Greek but the world public opinion, to the need for this reunification” noted Mr. Mitsotakis expressing the belief – without specifying the exact time – that the Parthenon Sculptures will return to the country. “I firmly believe that the time of the return of the Sculptors will come. I cannot determine when, nor with what speed this return will be made. Because I don’t think we can believe that this will happen overnight. But I don’t want to go into more detail, except to say that this discussion with the British Museum remains active,” he said.

This “thread” is expected to pick up again during the meeting that the Greek Prime Minister will have tomorrow morning with his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, off the agenda, but with the issue always remaining on the table, at a time favorable for the our country, as a large part of British public opinion supports the Greek request for the repatriation of the Sculptors, while Athens holds as a powerful “negotiating card” the fact that the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, from the time he was leader of the official opposition, had advocated the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to their place.

At this juncture, a publication of the Telegraph newspaper in London, brings back to the debate 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, define that the management commissioners 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 reckons, the 1963 law which prohibits the British Museum from returning the Parthenon Sculptures to Athens could be circumvented, while the publication says that Labor is considering “all options”.

According to information from SKAI and its correspondent Thanasis Gavou, a representative of the British government 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 the Minister of Culture, Lisa Nandy, about the government’s “examination” 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.”

The rest of the Mitsotakis – Starmer agenda

The agenda of the meeting between the two Prime Ministers includes a series of issues related to bilateral relations as it is expected to focus on the investment opportunities presented in Greece, Artificial Intelligence, government policies and the upgrading of Greek-British relations.

According to government sources, the four-four in Downing Street is an opportunity to restart and upgrade bilateral relations at all levels, while it is expected to emphasize cooperation in the fields of Shipping, research and innovation and Tourism, given that the United Kingdom is the second most important tourist market for Greece.

Migration is also expected to be on the agenda of the discussion, as Greece is recognized as a successful example, especially in guarding and protecting the borders, as well as the coordination of the two countries in view of Greece’s term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council during the two years of 2025 -26.

At a critical geopolitical juncture for the West and in the midst of escalation on the Ukraine front, the two leaders will also discuss issues of regional and international interest with an emphasis on the latest developments in the Middle East and the escalation on the Ukraine front, but also the Euro-British relationships.

Economics and Artificial Intelligence in today’s program

The visit of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to London also includes a series of other contacts and talks with powerful economic actors, starting today, as the Prime Minister will open the Investment Conference organized by the Hellenic Stock Exchange with Morgan Stanley in London, he will have the opportunity to meet leading investors while having a public discussion with Morgan Stanley’s Head of Investment Banking Europe.

Also today, Mr. Mitsotakis will participate in a special closed workshop organized by the Blair Institute on Artificial Intelligence, as Greece is at the forefront of the international debate on Artificial Intelligence. The workshop is organized for the needs of the Greek government and it is expected that specific proposals will 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 relevant Advisory Committee.