Reports cited by The Telegraph say Britain-Greece talks on the Parthenon Sculptures have stalled, with no negotiations underway. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is urging their resumption, but says any deal must permanently reunite the works in Athens.
The dispute centers on ownership. The British Museum says it can lend the sculptures under the current legal framework but cannot permanently transfer them, and says a loan would require Greece to recognize its ownership. Athens rejects that condition.
Mitsotakis also rejects the British Museum’s suggestion that a loan agreement for the Bayeux Tapestry could serve as a model. He argues the tapestry is a single artwork on loan from France, while the Parthenon Sculptures are parts of one monument divided between London and Athens.
