British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has intensified his war of words with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accusing him of trying to “grandstand” over the Parthenon Marbles dispute by breaking a promise not to raise the issue ahead of a planned meeting between the two leaders. The two governments have been at loggerheads since Monday when Sunak did the unprecedented and cancelled a scheduled meeting with Mitsotakis hours before it was due to start.
No such agreement
Mitsotakis had said on Greek television that Greece would like back its heritage, the Parthenon Sculptures, from the British Museum. The Marbles, (as they are also referred to), were stolen from the Acropolis by Lord Elgin in the 19th Century when Greece was under the yoke of the Ottoman-Turkish colonial empire.
Downing Street officials claimed that they had an agreement from Greece that Mitsotakis would not advocate for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures on his trip to London, during which he also met Labour leader Keir Starmer.
On Wednesday, Starmer ripped into Sunak during question time, saying the British PM had, “lost his marbles”.
“The Greek prime minister came to London to meet him, a fellow NATO member… one of our most important partners in tackling illegal immigration.”
Instead of discussing serious issues Starmer said, Sunak, “tried to humiliate him [Mitsotakis] and cancelled at the last minute.”
Sunak responded to Starmer and attacked Mitsotakis, “When commitments and specific assurances on that topic were made to this country and then were broken … It may seem alien to him [Starmer], but my view is when people make promises, they should keep them.”
The idea that any Greek, let alone the prime minister of Greece would not raise the issue of the Marbles has been labelled absurd by Greek insiders.
Petulant Sunak
“Have you ever seen something so petulant?” asked journalist Sarah Ferguson, on ABC 7:30 when interviewing Margaritis Schinas, the Vice President of the European Commission who is visiting Australia.
“This is an incredible situation,” replied Schinas. “I studied in the UK, I lived there, and it is mind-blowing how a British prime minister can reach a stage where he refuses to talk to someone with whom he might disagree.
“That’s so unBritish. I’m lost (sic.) for words about what happened, and yes, in my mind, there’s no doubt that the Marbles should go back where they belong, which is the Acropolis Museum,” said the Vice President of the EU.
Federal Labor politician Steve Georganas, the chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth, agrees with Schinas, whom he’s met twice.
“We have raised the issues of the Marbles, an issue close to our hearts as Greek Australians and as a global Diaspora,” Georganas said.
“It was the wrong move by the prime minister of the UK not to meet with the prime minister of Greece.”
Given the current “positive” climate, Georganas says the British PM’s actions were a miscalculation.
“It was a bad calculation,” said the federal parliamentarian who believes it was a move to appease “the hard right” by the British prime minister.
“Mr Sunak is seen as moderate but needs the hard right votes to survive as prime minister, and I think he was pandering to hard right folks in the party,” Georganas said.
Echoing Schinas, he said that “from Thatcher right through, all [UK PMs] have met with Greek prime ministers.”
“Greece and Britain are in Europe, in NATO; they are like-minded, and align on matters,” he said.
Georganas dismissed the excuse of the Parthenon Sculptures not being on the agenda.
“The Marbles are always on the agenda, never off the agenda; every Greek prime minister, Greek politician, and Greek Australian politician will raise the return of the Parthenon Marbles.”
Astounded but not surprised
George Vardas, the secretary of the Australians for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures was “astounded” when he heard the news, but “not surprised.”
“Mr Sunak is a close friend of Oliver Dowden (Deputy PM and a former Culture Secretary), who crafted the Conservative Party’s ‘Retain and Explain’ mantra on disputed cultural artefacts.
“Ironically, [Sunak] may want to retain but refused to explain,” jibed Vardas.
The lobbyist found Sunak’s claim that the Greek PM had agreed not to raise the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures “incredible”.
“Diplomacy means that allies can still have a constructive discussion even if they disagree on particular issues as occurred when Mitsotakis met Johnson in 2021,” Vardas said.
Theodora Gianniotis from the International Organising Committee, Australia, for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, said the Parthenon Sculptures issue is “now a question of appropriate custodianship.”
“Where are the Marbles best place for them to be cared for and allow for international access for research? It’s Athens,” Gianniotis told Neos Kosmos.
The idea of a ‘loan’ of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum made her uncomfortable, she was happy to consider “a ‘loan’ from Greece to Britain only once the marbles are returned.”
“A ‘loan’ from British Museum to Greece negates ownership.”
She added that Greece “has never ceded ownership of its cultural heritage to Britain or the British Museum.”
