The Parthenon Sculptures and the Art of Secret Diplomacy

Reports are emerging from London about secret negotiations between George Osborne, the Chair of Trustees of the British Museum, and the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and other senior ministers over the fate of the Elgin collection of Parthenon sculptures currently held on display in the museum’s controversial Duveen Gallery.

According to the highly reputable and well-placed London correspondent for the Greek newspaper Ta Nea, Yannis Andritsopoulos secret talks have been underway for just over a year to find a solution to this seemingly intractable problem.

According to informed sources mentioned by the Ta Nea correspondent, for the last thirteen months – following Mitsotakis’ much-publicised meeting with his then UK counterpart, Boris Johnson – the Greek government has held a series of meetings with Osborne to work towards a mutually acceptable settlement to a problem that has been lingering since 1816 when the UK Parliament voted to purchase the sculptures by Elgin and then by an act of parliament vested the imperiously-named Elgin Marbles in the British Museum.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself hinted at progress in an interview he gave earlier this week in London on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hellenic Observatory of the London School of Economics.Speaking with the School’s Director, Kevin Featherstone, the Greek Prime Minister confirmed that the question of the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures is very close to his heart and is a cause “that all Greeks would very much like the government to work towards achieving”.