Who cares who has the Elgin marbles? Let them go on loan

After a series of "private meetings" between the UK and Greece this week, prime ministers Keir Starmer and Kyriakos Mitsotakis were to meet in London yesterday to discuss the future of the Elgin marbles.

- THIMIOS TZALLAS

Likely to be framed as a "cultural partnership" between the two nations, there is a growing sense that the Parthenon sculptures will be returned to Greece, in exchange for certain “blockbuster treasures” – negotiations are a two-way street, after all.

Although the Greek government is reluctant to reveal which “blockbuster treasures” they are willing to lend in exchange – a bid to build drama and raise expectations, I suspect – there is speculation that the Mask of Agamemnon might be included (which would not be too dissimilar to Britain lending the Alfred Jewel to Greece).

There are many reasons why this debate has rumbled on for so long – not least Athens’ muddled narrative regarding the terms of the marbles’ repatriation. In December 2023, Mitsotakis, speaking with Laura Kuenssberg in an interview that sparked a massive and somewhat incoherent dispute with Rishi Sunak, attempted to clarify Greece’s position on the matter. “I think the answer is very clear. They [the marbles] do look better in the Acropolis Museum, a state-of-the-art museum that was built for that purpose,” he said.