The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis has accused his British Counterpart Rishi Sunak of cancelling a scheduled meeting in London in a diplomatic row over the status of the Parthenon sculptures.
Greece has repeatedly asked the British museum to permanently return the 2,500-year-old sculptures that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in the early 19th century when he was ambassador to the ottoman empire.
The cancellation came a day after Mitsotakis in televised interview said that the marbles should be returned, as having some of the artefacts in London and the rest in Athens was like cutting the Mona Lisa in half.
The world affairs analyst Chris Mason stated that the opposition made it obvious that art belongs in the United Kingdom and that it would be reckless for any British politician to consider negotiation when it comes to the art.
Mitsotakis, whose new democracy party won a second term in office in July, has made return of the treasures to the country where they were carved 2,500 years ago a priority of his next four years in power.
