Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for the permanent reunification of the Parthenon sculptures, stating that the recent loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain should not serve as a template for an agreement.
The Bayeux Tapestry is currently in Britain, marking its first return in nearly 1,000 years. Mr Mitsotakis highlighted similarities between the tapestry and the Parthenon sculptures, noting both were conceived as single works intended to be seen as a whole. He argued that dividing the Parthenon sculptures, with parts in London and Athens, is comparable to cutting the tapestry in two.
Mr Mitsotakis emphasised that Greece cannot accept any arrangement that would require it to recognise the British Museum's ownership of the sculptures or involve 'borrowing' parts of its own monument. He cited a nationally representative poll from last year, which reportedly found that a majority of the British public supports the sculptures' return to Greece, with 72% agreeing they are best understood as part of a single ensemble with the Parthenon.
The Greek Prime Minister stated that reunification could form the basis of a broad cultural partnership between Greece and Britain, creating new opportunities for exhibitions, scholarship, conservation, and exchanges between museums.