Rishi Sunak cancels scheduled meeting with Greek PM amid dispute over Elgin Marbles

A dispute has arisen between the British and Greek governments regarding the Elgin Marbles, leading to the cancellation of a planned meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. A spokesperson for the Greek prime minister expressed disappointment over the last-minute cancellation. The cancellation came shortly after Mitsotakis declared in an interview with the BBC that the marbles should be returned to Greece. The marbles, also known as the Parthenon Sculptures, are ancient Greek artifacts currently housed in the British Museum, having been brought to the UK by Lord Elgin in the 19th century. The Greek government expressed surprise at the cancellation and emphasized the long history of friendship and cooperation between Greece and Britain. Sources within the Greek government reported that Mitsotakis was both puzzled and irritated by the cancellation. The meeting, which was scheduled to last 45 minutes, was supposed to cover various topics of mutual interest, including the conflict in Israel-Gaza, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, climate change, migration, and the Parthenon Sculptures. The British government confirmed the cancellation and stated that the Greek PM would instead meet with the deputy prime minister. A senior Conservative source cited comments made by Mitsotakis prior to the meeting regarding the Elgin Marbles as the reason for the cancellation, asserting that the marbles are part of the permanent collection of the British Museum and not subject to negotiation. Prior to the cancelled meeting, Mitsotakis had also met with Labour leader Keir Starmer.