Greece’s Minister of State, Giorgos Gerapetritis, has confirmed to The Guardian that the Greek government has had preliminary talks with the British Museum in the United Kingdom in an attempt to return the Parthenon Marbles to Athens, Greece.
“It is true there is a dialogue between the Greek government and the British Museum. Right now, they are preliminary talks and, yes, I have met the British Museum’s chair, George Osborne [to discuss the issue,” Gerapetritis said.
Revelations about the negotiations were first reported on Saturday by the Greek newspaper Ta Nea, which said that officials including the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, had met George Osborne, the Chair of the British Museum, in a five-star London hotel as recently as Monday.
The news came five days after Mitsotakis told an audience at the London School of Economics that he “sensed” headway was being made on the issue and that a “win-win solution” was possible.
“We have seen progress,” the Greek leader said. “I do sense a momentum.”
While the British Museum didn’t deny that talks have taken place, a spokesman refused to discuss the specifics of the Ta Nea story. The museum said it was prepared to “talk to anyone, including the Greek government” about a new Parthenon “partnership.”
“As the chair of trustees said last month, we operate within the law and we’re not going to dismantle our great collection as it tells a unique story of our common humanity,” the museum said in a statement released on Saturday.
“But we are seeking new positive, long-term partnerships with countries and communities around the world, and that of course includes Greece.”
Source: Ta Nea and The Guardian.
READ MORE: Replica of Parthenon Marbles unveiled in the UK to fuel repatriation debate.
