Greek prime minister vows to ‘ramp up’ efforts to regain Parthenon marbles

The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged to intensify efforts to reclaim the Parthenon marbles from the British Museum. He emphasized that his UK counterpart, Andy Burnham, has previously shown strong support for restitution efforts.

Mitsotakis stated he would address the issue firmly during his upcoming meeting with Burnham, who served as culture secretary in a previous Labour government. He remarked,

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"Unfortunately they have not progressed,"

referring to the stalled discussions regarding a proposed "hybrid" deal to repatriate the fifth-century BC marbles in exchange for other antiquities.

The Prime Minister asserted,

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"We will very clearly ramp up the intensity of our claims, not just with the British Museum, but also with the British government."

He highlighted Burnham's prior support for the return of the Parthenon sculptures before taking office as a positive sign.

This marks the first acknowledgment from Mitsotakis that negotiations with the British Museum, led by its chair George Osborne, have not yielded progress. He suggested that the fate of the marbles is linked to Burnham's desire for the UK to strengthen ties with the EU.