Mitsotakis says cancellation of meeting with Sunak will not affect Greece-Britain relations

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday (Nov 29) dubbed the cancellation of his meeting with British counterpart Rishi Sunak over the Parthenon marbles as an "unfortunate event". However, he stated that this would not affect the relations between Greece and Britain in the long run.

In a meeting with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Mitsotakis, reflecting on the "positive side" of the issue said that it gave him the opportunity to further underline Greece’s request for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures.

He then said that the Greek-British relations have had a deep, significant, history.

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“I returned yesterday from London. Just two words about the unfortunate event of the cancellation of my programmed meeting with my British counterpart. My first observation is that I believe it will not affect Greek-British relations in the long run, which are already relations that have a deep, significant, history," Mitsotakis said.

"And secondly, the cancellation of this meeting had a positive side, in that the fair request by Greece for the re-unification of the Parthenon marbles gained even greater publicity, not only in the United Kingdom but also in global public opinion,” he added.

Sakellaropoulou said the re-unification of the marbles had uncovered recognition in British as well as international public opinion, however, she said that some issues could not be solved ‘automatically’ and required time.

“We all followed the developments in London, what I find significant is that the Parthenon is a symbol not only of the Classical period but is also important for global cultural heritage, as the symbol of democracy and philosophy," she said.

Thus the re-unification of the marbles, which is a request by our country that goes back perhaps as early as the creation of the state - but of course the last years it has progressed - has found recognition and understanding from public opinion, international public opinion, British public opinion, and that may be the great profit, because there are some issues that cannot be solved automatically, they need their time. With that in mind we can hope that the just request of our country will find a response quickly,” she further added.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled his Tuesday's meeting with Mitsotakis after his office released a statement saying that both sides had previously decided that it should not be used as a public platform "to relitigate long, long settled matters."

"It's simply the case that if assurances are given and they're not adhered to, there are consequences for that," Sunak's spokesman told reporters.

Greece has repeatedly urged the British Museum to send back the 2,500-year-old sculptures that were removed by British diplomat Lord Elgin from the Parthenon temple in the early 19th century. During this period, Greece was under Ottoman Turkish rule.

Greek PM expresses displeasure

After Sunak called off the meeting, Mitsotakis expressed his "displeasure" and also declined the UK's offer to meet Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden instead to discuss the issues.

"I would like to express my displeasure at the British Prime Minister's cancellation of our meeting just a few hours before it was due to take place," the Greek leader said in a brief statement.

A Downing Street spokesperson said "The UK-Greece relationship is hugely important", citing joint work within NATO and "tackling shared challenges like illegal migration" and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

"The deputy prime minister was available to meet with the Greek PM to discuss these important issues," the spokesperson added, without referencing the marbles issue.

Mitsotakis lamented, "Greece's position on the issue of the Parthenon friezes is well known. I had hoped to have the opportunity to discuss them with my British counterpart".

"Those who believe in the rightness and validity of their positions are never afraid to confront the arguments," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)