Fifty-three percent of participants in a poll conducted by the YouGov company in the UK was in favour of the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
Only 24% said they were against, while 23% expressed no opinion. A total of 4,280 adults across the country were surveyed. The poll was published on Monday, December 2.
The exact question was: “The British Museum in London houses the Parthenon Marbles (also known as the Elgin Marbles), a set of classical Greek sculptures that were removed from the Parthenon in Athens 200 years ago by Lord Elgin. Some believe that Britain should return the Marbles to Greece, while others believe that they should remain here. Do you personally think that Britain should return the Elgin Marbles to Greece or keep them in Britain?
Asked about the progress of the negotiations, a British Museum spokesperson replied that “discussions with Greece on the Parthenon Marbles are ongoing and constructive. We believe that a long-term partnership will achieve the right balance.”
The Greek and British sides are in advanced talks on the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures. The major thorn in the negotiations continues to be the ownership status. The British do not accept that they belong to Greece and Athens will not agree to take them on loan.
The most prevalent solution seems to be their transfer to Athens in the form of a “Deposit”. That is, the British will retain ownership, but Greece will have the right to use them, without having to recognise the ownership status.
The Greek side is discussing the issue mainly with the British Museum, which is the competent authority. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to raise the issue with his British counterpart. Sir Keir Starmer has stated that he does not intend to create obstacles if there is ultimately an agreement between Greece and the British Museum.
Source: ANA-MPA
