Mitsotakis raises Parthenon sculptures at UN

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to Greece’s standing demand for the permanent return from the British Museum in London of the Parthenon sculptures during his address to the United Nations General Assembly.

“I’m pleased to say that our long and continuing effort to reunite the Parthenon sculptures back in Greece, in this effort we have received support from the vast majority of member states, as well as from UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee.

“No matter how long it will take, the Parthenon sculptures will eventually be coming home,” the prime minister said.

The sculptures were removed from the Parthenon temple, a 5th-century BC architectural masterpiece, in Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin at a time when the country was under Ottoman rule. [Reuters]