British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday repeated calls for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Athens from the British Museum, months after a diplomatic spat with Britain over the 2,500-year-old pieces.

Melina Mercouri stated in 1986, during her initial efforts in advocating for the return of the Parthenon Marbles, “What does Big Ben & St Paul’s Cathedral mean to England?”

Nurse and long-distance cyclist Vasiliki Voutzaki is a member of an eight-person team that embarked on an endurance challenge a few days ago with a noble goal: to cover the distance from the British Museum to the Acropolis Museum, spanning 3,500 kilometers, on bicycles, while carrying the message of the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called on the British government and the British Museum to reach a "win-win arrangement" over the Parthenon Sculptures, facilitating both Greece and the UK to "share" the 2,500-year-old sculptures. 

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ruled out changing a law which prohibits the British Museum handing the Parthenon marbles permanently back to Greece.

Sunak said there are no plans to amend the legislation, which states the museum can only dispose of objects within its collection in limited circumstances. However, the museum could still arrange a loan of the sculptures.

The chairperson of the British Museum has said is it "worth trying" to work with Greece to see if the Parthenon Sculptures "can be seen both in London and Athens, while treasures currently in Greece could be seen by new audiences here." 

Politics is, as they say, the art of the possible. Nevertheless, sometimes politicians turn their backs on the attainable, especially if it does not help them politically and gives points to their opponents.

Greece on May 23 urged Britain to return the Parthenon Marbles- often known as the Elgin Marbles- as one of the world's greatest ancient sites the Acropolis re-opens after the coronavirus shutdown.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni on Saturday reiterated a long-standing request for the British Museum to return the Parthenon Marbles, ahead of the 11th anniversary of the Acropolis Museum, which was purpose-built to house the antiquities found on Athens' namesake hill.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni sent a message of condolence to the friends and family of Greek-born film-maker Eleni Cubitt, one of the founding members of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (BCRPM), who passed away on Friday morning.

Cubitt was born in Thessaloniki and lived in London.