Greek PM moves to smooth over UK marbles row, as
King Charles raises eyebrows
After week of fury, Kyriakos Mitsotakis offers Rishi
Sunak an olive branch.
BY NEKTARIA
STAMOULI
DECEMBER 1,
2023 3:54 PM CET
ATHENS —
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis moved Friday to smooth over his
relationship with the U.K. after a furious row with British Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak over the Parthenon sculptures.
“I
certainly want to leave this unfortunate incident behind me, but it always
takes two to tango,” Mitsotakis said in an interview with Bloomberg Television
while in Dubai for the COP28 climate summit.
Sunak was
scheduled to meet Mitsotakis on Tuesday, but the British leader abruptly called
off the talks late Monday after Mitsotakis gave an interview to the BBC in
which he insisted upon the return of the Parthenon Marbles, the ancient
sculptures that Britain’s Lord Elgin removed from Greece in the 19th century.
“In the
spirit of long-standing good relations our two countries have, which I surely
intend to preserve, I don’t have much to add,” Mitsotakis said, adding that he
hasn’t spoken to Sunak since the incident.
The frenzy
over the unprecedented diplomatic row continues to titillate the Greek media,
which noted that King Charles III appeared to take a stand for Greece by
choosing to wear a tie bearing the Greek flag.
King
Charles III wore the tie and a blue and white pocket square while in Dubai,
where he had a brief meeting with Sunak.
Earlier
this week, one Greek newspaper didn’t mince any words.
“Fuck you
bastard!” screamed the front page of tabloid “Eleftheri Ora” at Sunak earlier
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