Diplomatic dispute between the British and Greek governments over the Parthenon sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was supposed to meet with Rishi Sunak in London, but the British Prime Minister canceled the meeting at the last minute.
I am deeply disappointed by the sudden cancellation of the meeting, Mitsotakis said, rejecting the offered alternative - to speak with the British Deputy Prime Minister.
The cancellation came a day after Mitsotakis told the BBC that London should return the ancient sculptures.
If some artefacts are in London and the rest are in Athens, it's like cutting a painting of the Mona Lisa, the Greek Prime Minister vividly described.
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Mitsotakis told reporters on Monday evening, November 27, that he was disappointed that the meeting was canceled "just a few hours before it was supposed to be held."
"Those who firmly believe in the correctness and justice of their positions never hesitate to engage in constructive argumentation and debate," he said.
"Greece and Britain share long-standing friendly ties, and the scope of our bilateral relations is wide.
"Our views on the Parthenon sculptures are well known. I expected to engage in a discussion with my British counterpart on this issue, as well as to discuss significant global challenges such as the situations in Gaza and Ukraine, the climate crisis, and migration," he added.
Sources familiar with the mood in the Greek government said Mitsotakis was "confused" and "annoyed".
The meeting was supposed to be held on Tuesday, November 28 and, as the BBC learned, lasted 45 minutes.
But Sunak was annoyed by the appearance of Mitsotakis in an interview with the BBC the day before the visit to London.
The British government confirmed the cancellation and instead offered the Greek Prime Minister a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden.
"It was impossible for the meeting of the two prime ministers to take place after the comments (Misotakis) regarding the sculptures.
"Our position is clear - the sculptures are part of the permanent collection of the British Museum and belong here.
"It is reckless for any British politician to suggest that they are the subject of negotiations," said a senior source from among the British Conservatives, which includes Sunak.
Mitsotakis had earlier met with Labor leader Keir Starmer and then refused to meet with the UK's deputy prime minister.
"slippery terrain"
The political background should not be excluded in this dispute.
Conservatives say it was naïve for Labor leader Starmer to meet Mitsotakis, given the Greek prime minister's stance on the sculptures the day before.
Labour's position is that they would not oppose a possible agreement between the British Museum and Athens on the loan of works of art.
A British government spokesman said there were "no plans" to change the British Museum Act of 1963, which prohibits the removal of objects from the museum's collection.
However, the loan would not entail changes to the law and could be implemented independently of the position of the British Prime Minister.
Many conservatives believe that such an arrangement would be a "slippery slope," as one of them told me.
"Keir Starmer clearly wants to ignore the contributions of generations of British taxpayers to keep art safe and share it with the world," a Conservative Party source said.
But a Labor source said their position was firm - a Labor government would not change the law to allow the sculptures to be permanently moved.
They call Sunak's behavior "pathetic".
Another source said: "What a bizarre display of culture war."
"If the prime minister is unable to meet with a European ally with whom Britain has important economic ties, it is further evidence that he is unable to manage the country's economy in a serious way. Labor and Sir Keir Starmer are ready for that," said a Labor spokesman.
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Will there be a loan agreement?
The sculptures are probably the most significant works of art in the increasingly contentious and heated debate over whether museums around the world should return objects to their countries of origin.
Lord Elgin, a British soldier and diplomat, took them from the Parthenon in Athens in the early 19th century.
The sculptures were then purchased by the British government in 1816 and placed in the British Museum.
The marble figures are part of the frieze that decorated the 2.500-year-old temple, the work of the sculptor Phidias.
The Parthenon Gallery in the Acropolis Museum was built more than a decade ago and exhibits sculptures.
The exhibition combines the original marble sculptures with plaster copies of those in the British Museum and other museums abroad.
The trustees of the British Museum are currently exploring the possibility of a loan arrangement with Greece.
The chairman of the British Museum's board of trustees, George Osborne, previously said that "some kind of arrangement that would allow certain sculptures to be in Greece for a while" was being examined.
Speaking before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in October, Osborne said any deal would have to include "works from Greece being brought here for the first time".
It is believed that it will take months to reach any decision on the matter.
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