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Other bilateral and European issues were also discussed in the talks in Athens. They came days after a Greek newspaper reported that the chairman of the British Museum had held secret talks with Greece’s prime minister about returning the 5th-century BC sculptures to the museum’s collection. The remaining works are in the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
A Greek Foreign Ministry statement quoted Varvitsiotis Docherty as saying that “contemporary realities demand the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures.”
The ministry said Docherty insisted the matter concerned the British Museum rather than the UK government.
While the museum did not deny that negotiations had taken place, a spokesman declined to discuss the specifics of Saturday’s story in the Greek newspaper Ta Nea.
The works in London – also known as the Elgin Marbles – were removed in the early 19th century by a British diplomat, Lord Elgin. At the time, Greece was under the occupation of Ottoman Turkey.
Athens argues that the sculptures were taken illegally and should be returned to permanent display next to those still in Greece. The British Museum has rejected that trend, despite signs that UK public opinion favors the decades-old Greek demand.
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