Window opens for Parthenon Sculptures’ return
The indications that the Greek government has been receiving over the past few days regarding the potential to borrow the Parthenon Sculptures from the British Museum confirm the improvement Athens had anticipated on the matter following the establishment of Keir Starmer’s Labour government in London.
Chris Bryant, minister of state for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, delivered the message in response to a written question in Parliament. Bryant stated that the British Museum’s management was responsible for deciding whether or not to lend the statues, while also mentioning the “constructive cooperation” that George Osborne, the head of the museum, had with the Greek government.
As The Times of London points out in a related article, this response represents a clear change of tone from the previous Conservative government. The “pause” phase which the relevant Greek-British contacts on the issue had entered due to the Tories’ introversion in previous years, which culminated in the rather inelegant cancellation of the meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his then counterpart Rishi Sunak, has now been overcome. Starmer, as the British newspaper points out, may use the return issue as part of a “charm offensive” with Europe, with which he wants to reinvigorate UK relations.
Of course Labour does not intend to change the law that provides for the export of antiquities from the country’s museums. In all their reference to the issue, they use the term “borrowing.” In other words, the basic difference of perception between Greece and the UK remains, with Athens insisting that it has full ownership of the “stolen objects.”
Bryant indicated which formula the British side would prefer, referring to the “success” of the agreement between the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum with the Manhyia Palace Museum in Ghana for the return of 32 gold and silver objects stolen 150 years ago. The loan agreement is for three years, with the possibility of an extension for a further three years.
