The Greek culture minister has promised that if the British Museum returns the Parthenon marbles, it will provide a major replacement.
Minister Lina Mendoni said in an interview with the British Guardian newspaper on the 27th (local time): “When the sculpture is reunited in Athens, Greece is ready to hold a traveling exhibition of important artifacts that can fill the void.”
He added: “I believe these artefacts will hold the interest of visitors from around the world and attract new interest in the British Museum’s Greek Gallery.”
In order to resolve the issue of the return of the Parthenon Marbles, which has recently turned into a diplomatic conflict between Greece and the United Kingdom, the British Museum has proposed to give up the relic and allow it to display the corresponding major relics instead.
The Parthenon Marbles are pieces of marble removed from the Parthenon Temple in Athens by Thomas Bruce (Lord Elgin), a British diplomat to the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century, when Greece was occupied by the Ottoman Empire.
This relic is also called the “Elgin Marbles” and has been a representative relic of British museums for over 200 years.
Greece made persistent efforts to obtain from Britain the Parthenon Marbles, an appendage of the Parthenon Temple, a representative relic of ancient Greek civilization.
Earlier this year, the British Museum announced that “constructive discussions are taking place,” raising expectations that return negotiations would conclude, but recently the conflict has escalated again.
When Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis insisted on the statue’s return, an enraged British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled the summit scheduled just hours earlier.
The Guardian assessed that Minister Mendoni presented a win-win solution, breaking away from the intense debate on the issue of the return of the Parthenon Marbles.
The possibility of the 3,500-year-old gold mask known as the “Mask of Agamemnon” being loaned to the British Museum for an extended period of time is also being discussed as a condition for the return.
Minister Mendoni stressed that the Greek government will resolve the issue through dialogue and cultural and diplomatic efforts instead of taking legal action against the British Museum.
He expressed optimism about the return of the Parthenon marbles, stating: “Even those who for many years opposed the return of the sculptures to Greece now support our request.”
The Guardian reported that a YouGov poll last July found that 64% of Britons supported returning to the country.
/yunhap news
2023-12-28 13:01:35
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