Filenews 19 May 2022
Greece may be one step closer to the return of the Parthenon Sculptures from the UK, as official talks are about to begin, UNESCO has announced.
On the eve of International Museum Day, celebrated on May 18, UNESCO made the surprise announcement that Greece and the United Kingdom have agreed to formal talks on the possible return of the ancient sculptures, which are in the British Museum.
Talks begin for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures
Talks on the possible reunification of the Parthenon sculptures were announced by the Intergovernmental Commission to promote the return of cultural goods to their countries of origin or their restoration in the event of illegal appropriation, which began its 23rd session in Paris this week.
According to UNESCO, the meeting, which was offered on April 29 by the UK, has been accepted by Greece and will be arranged "in due course".
The sculptures - constructed between 447 BC and 432 BC - consist of a frieze depicting the procession of a Panathenaic celebration for the birthday of the goddess Athena, along with some metopes and figures from the pediments of the temple.
In total, the British Museum owns 15 metopes, 17 figures from the pediments and a 247-metre section of the original frieze, which, as the foundation claims, were legally acquired during a period when Greece was under Ottoman rule.
Greece's efforts to repatriate the objects have continued since 1983, but in recent years they have intensified.
As stated in the UNESCO announcement, the United Kingdom and Greece replied to the Secretariat on 8 April and 18 April 2022, respectively, outlining the actions taken to continue the dialogue on this case.
Both countries cited the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in London in November 2021, during which Johnson reiterated the UK's long-standing position that this issue remains for the Trustees of the British Museum.
The UK informed the Secretariat of its proposal to organise a meeting between the Greek Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, and the UK Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Lord Parkinson, who hopes to receive a positive response from the Greek authorities. In this regard, Greece informed the Secretariat that the proposal of the United Kingdom was sent to the Greek Ministry of Culture on 29 April 2022, was immediately accepted and a meeting between the parties is to take place.
