“Our goal for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures has now come closer than ever in 50 years” the Minister of Culture emphasized today in the Parliament Lina Mendonianswering the topical question of the Member of Parliament for Freedom of Navigation Alexandrou Kazamias with the theme “The dinner in the room with the Parthenon Sculptures in London and the attitude of the Greek government regarding their return”.
Lina Mendoni reiterated the firm position of the Greek government for the definitive reunification of Sculptors of the Parthenon and referring to the recent dinner held in the Sculpture Hall of the Parthenon at British Museum he noted that “actions such as the recent dinner at the Duveen Gallery actually strengthen in the international community Greece’s arguments for the need to reunite the Sculptors. These actions by the British Museum are obviously at odds with the safety and integrity of the Sculptures. At the same time, however, these actions also weaken any claim on the British side, because I will no longer talk about arguments. The British side’s arguments have long since been dismissed.”
Referring to the overall strategy of the Greek government, she underlined that “The government has a strategy. I have said it again and again, strategy, which is revealed, is not strategy. Negotiations are secret. Every negotiation, which takes place in the light of the sun, saying your arguments, you have automatically lost a very large part of your negotiating advantage. In any case, what we do is that we always respond to the challenges, strengthen the dialogue, exhaust the tools of cultural diplomacy, systematically inform politicians and the scientific community, and without wanting to argue, there are proofs – and you know them – that everything substantial and tangible has happened in the matter of the Sculptures in the last fifty years, happened in the last six years”.
Lina Mendoni reiterated that: “Everything that is happening and the international environment is absolutely favorable for the reunification and repatriation of cultural goods that have been illegally exported. The government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is working single-mindedly and methodically on this matter. We believe that our goal has now come closer than ever in 50 years.”