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[1/2]Foreign students take notes while visiting the Pnyx hill, opposite the Acropolis archaeological site in Athens, Greece, November 27, 2023. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki Acquire Licensing Rights
ATHENS/LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused his British counterpart Rishi Sunak of cancelling a scheduled meeting in London on Tuesday in a diplomatic row over the status of the Parthenon Sculptures.
Greece has repeatedly asked the British Museum to permanently return the 2,500-year-old sculptures that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in the early 19th century when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
“I express my annoyance that the British Prime Minister cancelled our planned meeting just hours before it was due to take place,” Mitsotakis said in a statement.
“Greece’s positions on the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures are well known. I had hoped to have the opportunity to discuss them with my British counterpart. Anyone who believes in the rightness and justice of his positions is never afraid of confronting arguments,” he said.
The Greek government has been in discussions with British Museum chair George Osborne on…
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