Talks over a possible return of the Parthenon marbles from the British Museum to Greece are not advancing quickly enough, the Greek prime minister has said before his meeting with Rishi Sunak this week.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis likened the British Museum’s possession of the sculptures – also known as the Elgin marbles – to the Mona Lisa painting being cut in half, saying it was not a question of ownership but “reunification”.
Athens has long campaigned for the return of the marble decorations taken from the ruins of the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman empire then ruling Greece, in the early 19th century.
The Financial Times reported that Starmer, who represents the Holborn and St Pancras constituency where the British Museum is located, would not block a “mutually acceptable” loan deal for the sculptures.
In March, Sunak ruled out any change to a law that stops the British Museum handing the marbles back to Greece permanently, but the legislation does not prohibit a loan.
“We believe that this kind of long-term partnership would strike the right balance between sharing our greatest objects with audiences around the world, and maintaining the integrity of the incredible collection we hold at the museum.”
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This is the best summary I could come up with:
Talks over a possible return of the Parthenon marbles from the British Museum to Greece are not advancing quickly enough, the Greek prime minister has said before his meeting with Rishi Sunak this week.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis likened the British Museum’s possession of the sculptures – also known as the Elgin marbles – to the Mona Lisa painting being cut in half, saying it was not a question of ownership but “reunification”.
Athens has long campaigned for the return of the marble decorations taken from the ruins of the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman empire then ruling Greece, in the early 19th century.
The Financial Times reported that Starmer, who represents the Holborn and St Pancras constituency where the British Museum is located, would not block a “mutually acceptable” loan deal for the sculptures.
In March, Sunak ruled out any change to a law that stops the British Museum handing the marbles back to Greece permanently, but the legislation does not prohibit a loan.
“We believe that this kind of long-term partnership would strike the right balance between sharing our greatest objects with audiences around the world, and maintaining the integrity of the incredible collection we hold at the museum.”
The original article contains 464 words, the summary contains 204 words. Saved 56%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!