Greek PM insists UK to return Parthenon Sculptures from British Museum

Greece's prime minister has said he would push UK leader Rishi Sunak for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures from the British Museum, where they are presently exhibited.

Greece maintains the marbles were stolen, which Britain denies, and the issue has been a source of contention between the countries for decades.

In the interview with BBC One aired on Sunday, Kryakos Mitsotakis said, “This is not a question of returning artefacts whose ownership we question. We feel that these sculptures belong to Greece and that they were essentially stolen.

“But this is not, in my mind, an ownership question. This is a reunification argument.”

"It's as if I told you that you would cut the Mona Lisa in half, and you will have half of it at the Louvre and half of it at the British Museum, do you think your viewers would appreciate the beauty of the painting in such a way?" he asked.

Mitsotakis added that "this is exactly what happened with the Parthenon sculptures".

"We’ve waited for hundreds of years"

When asked if he is confident that such a deal will be reached, Mitsotakis replied, “We have not made as much progress as I would like in the negotiations. But again, I’m a patient man and we’ve waited for hundreds of years and I will persist in these discussions.”

The Greek government has been lobbying for a deal that would essentially be a partnership between Greece and the British Museum, allowing them to return the sculptures to Athens and have people appreciate them in their original setting, he added.

Mitsotakis said he would also raise the issue with UK opposition leader Keir Starmer, who - if opinion polls are believed - is set to be Britain's next prime minister after an election expected next year.

Greece’s efforts for their return began in 1982 when then-Culture Minister Melina Mercouri made an appeal at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies in Mexico.

The Parthenon temple -- built in the 5th century BCE to honour the goddess Athena - was partially destroyed during a Venetian bombardment in 1687, then looted.

Its fragments are scattered throughout many renowned museums.

The sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, were taken from the Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat Thomas Bruce, the earl of Elgin.

Earlier this year, three marble fragments of the Parthenon temple that had been held by the Vatican for centuries were returned to Greece.

These exquisite ancient Greek sculptures depicting gods, heroes, and mythical creatures have been housed in the British Museum for centuries, drawing millions of visitors annually.