Future of Elgin Marbles a matter for British Museum, says No 10
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00:00The contentious issue of the Elgin marbles was not discussed in Sir Keir Starmer's meeting with the Greek Prime Minister.
00:07But with sources claiming the issue has been discussed in private talks,
00:10what's the state of play in this decades-long spat between the two nations?
00:15Greece has long accused Britain of illegally removing the Parthenon sculptures from Athens' Acropolis during foreign occupation.
00:22However, the government and the British Museum, the current home of the artefacts, reject these claims.
00:29It's the first time Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the UK since the most recent round of disputes over the ancient marbles.
00:36During the spat with the Conservative government, Mr Mitsotakis compared splitting the marbles from those in Athens as cutting the Mona Lisa in half.
00:45This came as then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denied throwing a hissy fit after he cancelled a meeting with the Greek PM,
00:52who had been pushing for the sculptures' return.
00:55Now, Starmer's spokesman said the government's position on the marbles has not changed ahead of the meeting,
01:00stating,
01:10The marble statues came from parts of the 2,500-year-old Parthenon Temple
01:15and have been displayed at the British Museum for over 200 years.
01:19They were initially removed by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century during his time as British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
01:27Other reports, however, have claimed that talks concerning the marbles are well advanced and nearing an agreement in principle.