The return of the Parthenon Marbles was one of the key issues raised by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis when he met his British counterpart Boris Johnson and the latter’s official residence at 10 Downing Street in London on Tuesday.

In his wide-ranging talks with Mr Johnson, the Greek prime minister also raised the issue of Greece’s demand for the return of the Parthenon Marbles which are on permanent display at the British Museum, the Athenian Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) reported.

Mr Mitsotakis told Greek journalists after the meeting: “… Our request is not a flare. We will insist, methodically, to build the necessary foundations within British public opinion for the need to reunite the Parthenon Marbles with the sculptures of the Acropolis Museum. It is an important issue, one that relates to our bilateral relations.

“This is not a legal issue per se, it is, above all, both a matter of principle, as well as a political issue,” said Mr Mitsotakis. “We will employ all means at our disposal to meet this target of ours.”

READ MORE: Parthenon Marbles will also be on the table at Greek-UK leaders meeting

During the meeting, Mr Mitsotakis congratulated the British prime minister for his role in the last week’s COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.

The two leaders also discussed relations between the European Union and the United Kingdom with the Greek premier welcoming the continuation of talks between the two sides in the Northern Ireland Protocol. Mr Mitsotakis said the implementation of the protocol were an important part of the UK’s commitments under its withdrawal agreement with the EU.

The two leaders also discussed the role of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean with Mr Mitsotakis saying that there was little optimism that dialogue would succeed despite the fact that Greece stood for dialogue over its sovereign rights and within the guidelines of international law and the Law of the Sea.

Mr Mitsotakis was accompanied to 10 Downing by New Democracy MP Tassos Chatzivassilliou, the Greek Ambassador to the UK, Ioannis Raptakis, ambassador Anna-Maria-Eleni Boura of the PM’s Diplomatic Office, deputy government spokesperson Aristotella Peloni and Alexis Patellis, the director of the PM’s Economic Office.

In a separate interview that Mr Mitsotakis conducted with the “Financial Times”, the Greek PM said that issue of the Parthenon Marbles was not a footnote to his visit to the UK

“There is a rather strong argument for their reunification [with the Acropolis Museum collection],” he noted, and continued: “If I were in the PM’s shoes and I were thinking out of the box in terms of global Britannia, and the idea of Britain really playing a role in the post Brexit world, it would be a fantastic coup for public diplomacy if they were to look at this from a different perspective,” he was reported as telling the “Financial Times”.

“If you go to visit the new Acropolis museum you will understand what I mean. That’s where you need to see the sculptures,” Mr Mitsotakis said as he referred to the plaster casts of Parthenon Marbles that were currently on display in the the Acropolis Museum next to original pieces that Lord Elgin left behind. He stressed that the “Elgin Marbles” were “a significant monument and not just any artefact.”

A statement released by 10 Downing Street after Mr Mitsotakis’ visit, noted that the two leaders had emphasised the value of their countries relations on the 200th anniversary of Greek independence. According to the statement, the leaders agreed to strengthen trade, education and tourism links.

On the issue of the Parthenon Marbles Mr Johnson said in the statement that: “”he understood the strength of feeling of the Greek people on this issue, but reiterated the UK’s long-standing position that this matter is one for the trustees of the British Museum.”

The statement also noted that the two leaders had agreed that the issue of the Parthenon Marbles “in no way affects the strength of UK-Greece partnership.