Marbles Reunited

A loan agreement between Britain and Greece over the Parthenon Marbles may be on the table after Mark Jones, the British Museum's interim director, told a British newspaper that he would support such a plan.

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.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni underscored that the government does not consider the exchange, loan or recognition of the British Museum's possession of the Parthenon Sculptures, in answering a question from an opposition MP in parliament on Monday. 

Greece's prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Sunday he would push for the return of the Parthenon Marbles when he meets U.K. leader Rishi Sunak in Britain this week.

The sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, were taken from the Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat Thomas Bruce, the earl of Elgin.

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. 

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." 

The British Museum said on Wednesday it was holding "constructive discussions" with Greece over the Parthenon Sculptures amid renewed speculation that the 2,500-year-old marbles could soon be returned to Athens.

The PM said he would talk to PM Boris Johnson about the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece

Mendoni reacted to an interview by the UK Culture Minister that the Parthenon Marbles would not return to Greece