Greece is pushing the Parthenon Marbles issue into UK-EU negotiations, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announcin...

Greece is pushing the Parthenon Marbles issue into UK-EU negotiations, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announcing Athens will formally link the sculptures' return to discussions about closer UK-EU relations. Speaking at the "Dialogues for Athens: From Myth to the Modern City" conference in Athens on Tuesday, Mitsotakis said the marbles "had clearly been stolen" and that there was no question about where they belonged. He framed it as not just a Greek issue but a European one, saying the Parthenon Marbles would be part of any broader UK-EU conversation. The proposal comes as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signaled interest in rebuilding the UK's relationship with the EU post-Brexit. Mitsotakis is positioning the marbles as an item Athens intends to put on that table directly. Greece's offer to London is structured as a cultural exchange. In return for reunification of the sculptures, the British Museum would get access to important antiquities from Greek collections that have never left the country, including pieces that could be made available through the ongoing renovation of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The sticking point remains legal. Returning the marbles would require a parliamentary exception to the legislation that currently governs the British Museum, meaning any deal needs a majority vote in the UK Parliament. Mitsotakis stressed Greece is not arguing that major museums worldwide should empty their holdings, describing the Parthenon Marbles as a unique case. He called his country's approach a "win-win" proposal and said Athens plans to intensify pressure on both the British Museum and the UK government directly. American classicist and author Daniel Mendelsohn, who took part in the discussion, said it was "clear that they belong here" while acknowledging broader debates around cultural ownership and repatriation. #ParthenonMarbles #Greece #BritishMuseum