London, Friday, 01 December 2023
Picture by: Greek City Times
Following a week-long spat between the Greek and UK prime ministers on the Parthenon sculptures, the King's tie included a Greek flag design.
The question is whether the statues, popularly referred to as the Elgin Marbles, ought to be sent back to Athens. It was implied by Buckingham Palace that the ties were chosen at random.
According to the BBC and royal sources, the King wore the same tie last week when he met with the South Korean delegation on their state visit. The tie was worn on Friday during the COP28 summit in Dubai.
They maintained that there was no relationship between Greece and the diplomatic dispute over the statues and the tie the King wore when he met Mr. Sunak.
Picture by: Greek City Times
On Monday, Mr. Sunak abruptly called off his scheduled meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, citing his desire to discuss the return of the sculptures—a topic the British prime minister is adamantly opposed to.
It provoked a furious reaction in Greece and led to accusations by Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of Labour, that Mr. Sunak had attempted to "humiliate" a significant European partner.
"Hissy fit" was how former chancellor George Osborne put it when he chaired the British Museum, which is now home to the Marbles.
According to him, the Museum was looking into a partnership "where they spend part of their time in London and part of their time in Athens."
Although Mitsotakis had made an appearance on British television on Sunday and likened the removal of the statues from Athens to chopping the Mona Lisa in half, British officials offered no explanation for the cancellation.
When Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Sunak in 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, he intended to discuss Greece's long-standing demand for the return of the ancient sculptures. The two politicians from the center-right were also scheduled to discuss immigration, climate change, and the ongoing hostilities in Gaza and Ukraine.
Hours before the scheduled meeting, Sunak cancelled, igniting a diplomatic spat between the two European partners. Instead, Mitsotakis was given an offer to meet with Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, but he turned it down.
The head of the Greek prime minister's press office, Dimitris Tsiodras, stated that Mitostakis was incensed about the "British misstep."
Naturally, he was upset. Look, Greece is a nation full with pride. Its past is extensive. Mitsotakis is a representative of that nation, Tsiodras said to Mega Channel of Greece.
Sunak's move was deemed inappropriate by Stefanos Kasselakis, the leader of the left-wing opposition in Greece.
He posted on X, the former Twitter platform, saying, "The case of the Parthenon Sculptures is an issue that goes beyond the Greek Prime Minister as an individual and beyond party differences." It is a national issue encompassing a whole people's history. Furthermore, the blatant appropriation of cultural riches from its natural environment raises moral concerns
(Source: Kathimerini // Edit by The Decision Maker - International Relations editors and Angelos Tsigkopoulos, Publisher of The Decision Maker)